Dalikamata's Destitute
by xfang-girlx
Summary: He was willing to sacrifice it all in order to be free. Then she exposed him to his greatest fear. Can he control the monster within? Or better yet, does he want to? Ulquiorra/OC (AU)
1. Masquerade

**A/N: **I guess this is an experiment of some sort. It's an idea that has been with me for about the last week and I just had to write it. Chapters will most likely be coming out slower because apart from the general outline, there are no plans. :/ This is the most worst "language"-wise the chapter's will be (but swear words are much cooler when in a different language). Translations at the bottom, enjoy! x

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Dalikamata's Destitute - 1

"_Perra!_"

Boredom, it was an emotion he felt almost constantly, the only one that had any place inside him. The shouting from his rude and lecherous younger brother could be heard throughout the hallways of the fifth floor of the castle. All his siblings were located on this floor. It was the floor below his father's quarters, _Lord Aizen_, as the man preferred to be called. They had all been adopted, one after the other, several years ago. The youngest was Yammy, a beefy dark skinned teenager, who was always found following him. That was if Ulquiorra ever left his bedroom, which was rarely and only for walks or obtaining his _quota_.

"_Gato!_"

He was sitting at the barred window, looking out at the vast landscape. The nearest town could just be seen before the horizon and he saw tiny movements along the road coming towards the castle. Horses and carriages made their way onwards to their destination, where a grand masquerade was about to happen. In a few hours after the sun has set, it will be _Noche de los Muertos_, Night of the Dead. The celebration will be held till morning light because the town's folk still feared any dangers of the darkness and rightly so.

"_Puta!_"

A dejected sigh left his lips and Ulquiorra went over to his closet. He was still in a tunic and cotton pants, not wanting to get dressed up for such an event. He didn't bother with any colourful clothing. It didn't suit him or his personality. It was bad enough he looked like a fool in these clothes without having to draw attention to himself with vibrant colours. The last accessory was a white mask, covering his whole face. There were horn-like ears poking out of the sides. The only thing stopping it from being bland were the green tears stains running down both the cheeks, matching the colour of his eyes.

"_Joder! Bicho!_"

A slammed door could be felt as the full length mirror he looked into shook, wobbling the reflection Ulquiorra saw of himself. He made his way down to the entrance of the castle, to greet all the arriving guests. It shouldn't be called a greeting because he would just stand there, immobile. He didn't care to know who was coming in, they were just numbers. These numbers adored his father, would do anything for his father. They didn't know what his father was truly like, what his father truly thought about them.

_Rojo_.

It flashed passed him, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked back to try and find it, but if it did exist, it was lost in the crowds of numbers. It was most likely his imagination, he thought it was strange but it left his mind. Ulquiorra felt someone grab his arm, pulling him inside to where the masquerade was being held. Looking over he saw pink eyes behind a half-mask, her black hair which was normally held up in pig-tails was let out, flowing down her back. _Loly_, most known for her fixation with his father.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she placed one of his hands on her waist, holding the other in her hand.

"We're dancing." She moved them around the dance floor and he had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "How is Lord Aizen?"

He could see her eyes flicker to his father, narrowing with jealousy at the horde of women that surrounded him. They were all looking at the most wanted bachelor with baited breathe as he told another of his outrageous stories. There were two masks Lord Aizen wore right now to conceal himself. One was part of his costume and the other was invisible. It was both masks that the people of the town couldn't see behind tonight. They didn't know how treacherous his father really was and if they found out, he was sure there would be nothing they could do about it. No one would find out though.

"Go ask him yourself."

"I hear _you're_ his most favoured out of all the children." Her eyes fluttered towards his and he noticed her smile grow. "You were always one to stand out in a crowd."

"I'm not going to be used in your ploy to get closer to my father." He pushed her away from him scoffing, causing a disturbance to those dancing around them. "Don't flatter yourself, only a _gusano_ would look twice at you."

She slapped him, loud and hard, before rushing out of the room. He felt nothing. It was a reaction he was expecting, so he had braced himself for it. He could have dodged her hand, grabbed onto her throat and squeeze it until she lost all circulation of air. He wasn't a fool. It would be idiotic for him to do so around the many in the vicinity. He took note of the dryness in his throat as he swallowed. He was thirsty and also in much need of an alcoholic beverage. Nothing this castle served was going to be strong enough so he made his way to his brother's room, the one with signature bright blue hair.

_Rojo_.

He saw it in the corner of his eye and instead of going pass him, it bumped straight into him. Before he could stop they had collided, the drink she had been holding went all over his front. Luckily he was wearing black or else the red wine would've marked his clothing. The glass shattered as it made contact with the stone floor, not loud enough to be heard over the music that was being played by a group of talented men.

"Pathetic." Ulquiorra muttered under his breath.

"You came out of nowhere, I didn't sense you!" The mysterious redhead exclaimed. It took her a few tries of reaching out before she got a hold of his shoulder.

_Already drunk._ It disgusted him that someone as young as her, she looked like she was just finishing her teen years, would turn up just to drink away the night. He had forgotten the reason he left the dance floor to begin with, which was to go do the same thing.

She started touching his chest feeling at the wet patch. "Oh no, I'm so sorry. Here, let me go get something to help clean you up."

He swatted her hands from him, not liking the way she touched him so carelessly. "Don't bother." She stumbled before him and was about to fall to the ground, but he caught her. "_Mierda! _You're drunk, watch where you're going."

"I'm not drunk." He heard her giggle in response, despite the harsh tone he used towards her.

Ulquiorra figured she was lying, why else would she respond to him in such a way and her movements were sluggish. He found a bench for her to sit on and walked away, having no intention of going back and checking on her. She was old enough to look after herself and she wasn't his problem. He made his was up a staircase which lead to the upper floors as well as a balcony that overlooked the dance floor. He turned towards the balcony, choosing not to go further upstairs, not yet.

The woman with red hair wasn't on the bench where he left her and she wasn't anywhere in the dancing crowds either. _Stupid woman_. Didn't she realise it was dangerous to go wandering around the castle by herself? He wasn't look out for her wellbeing, he didn't care. Whatever happened to her would be her own fault. He just thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. The eyes he trusted to show him everything, whatever he couldn't see just didn't exist. It was the only reason he was looking for her.

She was in a black long dress with long sleeves and large cuffs which were elaborately trimmed. Her corset underneath had been showing just a reasonable amount of décolletage, unlike the other female guests who thought it necessary to show off too much. Her mask covered only half her face, the only similarity she had with the ladies. It was black, matching her dress, but was lined with feathers and had a tiny beak-like nose. It wasn't the decorative design of the mask that made him want to have a second look. Her mask had no holes for where her eyes should've been looking at him. He was sure there had been red diamantes instead.

Dark arms rested next to his and he turned to see his older sister, spiky blonde hair atop her head. Her skeletal mask covered the lower part of her face. Something their father was against because it wasn't _lady-_like. She was the only one, out of their siblings, who openly rebelled against the paternal parent. It surprised him how she was rarely punished for such acts, of what he knew. It would be wrong of him to group her with all the other women, she was certainly not weak. Worthless however was just a matter of opinion.

"You look so glum Ulquiorra, even behind the mask."

"You would look gloomy too if you had a drink spilt on you." His gaze went back to the dancing couples, easily picking out the rest of his siblings, all apart from two.

"It's not like you have any other facial expressions." Tier sighed before moving away. "You should be glad for the occasion, or else you would end up scaring everyone away."

He didn't care. He preferred to be in isolation. Being around other people just hindered him from gaining freedom. They didn't mean anything to him. They were just a means to get to a goal, to get his _quota_. He looked down at his father who still had women flocking around him, as if any of that would change. Wealth and a lot of secret medicaments kept Lord Aizen looking youthful, almost as young as his oldest son Coyote. He was decades older, decades older than them all.

Turning away, he chose the next upwards path. His brother's room was only a couple of doors down from his bedroom. Ulquiorra could hear compromising noises but still entered it without announcing his presence beforehand. The sight he saw was expected, Grimmjow was on top of some woman with aqua hair, pants down at his ankles. Ever since his coming of age he had a different woman on his arm, and in his bed, monthly. He didn't understand Grimmjow's fascination with women, they were all weak and not worth any of his own time, even for simple pleasures.

"_Che_, haven't you heard of knocking?"

He ignored his brother, who continued with his actions as if the disturbance didn't happen. Instead Ulquiorra went straight to the closet where he hoped to find some heavy spirits hiding somewhere among the clothes within. Grimmjow grabbed the bottle from him having finished up with the woman and sending her away after she was decent enough to leave. She had resisted at first but reluctantly left after he promised another rendezvous with her.

"What's the occasion?" Grimmjow asked confused because they rarely ever conversed.

"Does there need to be one?" He countered.

His brother hummed in agreement taking a swig of the strong alcohol. Ulquiorra's mask was discarded, to take full advantage of the burning liquid which slowly numbed to nothing with each mouthful. They stayed in silence, left with their own thoughts, taking turns with the bottle. After finishing the bottle between them, all he felt was a slight dizziness when standing. It appalled him considering the amount it cost to import the beverage and it having little effect. It couldn't be helped. They were all monsters after all.

"Remind me to never drink with you again." Grimmjow commented. "This stuff is useless when shared."

"Who was the _mujer_?"

"Nelliel." They both put their masks back on, about to leave. "Uncle Kaname's new mistress."

He made a disgusted sound. "Better make sure he doesn't find out. He's already got a vendetta against you."

Grimmjow snorted. "See if I care."

Ulquiorra stood at the balcony once again, looking below at the groups of people talking and dancing, all identities made unknown by the masks they wore. Leaning against the rail, he stopped paying attention to what was happening, the colours becoming a blur. He hoped everyone would have sense not to bother him, even his father. He was brought out of his thoughts by the chiming of a bell signalling midnight. There were still many hours before the rays of the new day were to form.

_Rojo_.

It flitted across the dance floor. He saw the woman being led by Nnoitra away from everyone and most likely to somewhere secluded. He stiffened. Does she not a have good sense of character? Of course not, she was intoxicated. She was ripe for the taking because of her careless ways, especially by men such as his libidinous brother. It wasn't his job to protect her so Ulquiorra stayed where he was, until he heard her distance scream, unnoticeable by the rest of their guests.

"Don't go after her." Coyote blocked his way to the staircase.

He pushed pass his older brother. "What makes you think I am going after her? Obviously Nnoitra is about to claim her."

"Exactly, you shouldn't interfere." Coyote folded his arms.

"I don't care what happens to her. She's a pathetic, weak human." Ulquiorra walked away into the direction of the scream he heard.

Before he was out of earshot he heard Coyote whisper, "_Francisca Salazar_."

Ulquiorra paused in his steps. "I don't need to know meaningless details when there are much more important things to deal with."

He walked slowly, in the direction of the front doors, making it seem that he wanted to be outside. Ulquiorra turned down a narrow corridor at the last second, hoping no one spotted him. He didn't need his siblings confusing his actions for something else entirely. He couldn't hear any more noise and had no clue whether that was a good or a bad thing. When he reached the end, he was surprised to see that they both were still clothed. The redheaded lady was holding a knife coated in fresh blood, his brother clutching the side of his stomach.

"_Perra!_"

She stumbled backwards until her back hit the wall of the dead end and she slid to the ground. She was still clutching the knife in such a tight grip that her knuckles had turned as white as his skin. Ulquiorra went over to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from moving. Nnoitra looked up at him, anger and hatred clearly showing on his face. His brother struggled to get out of the grip but that made him squeeze more. The wound was close to healing by itself.

"Let me at her. Wait until I snap her skinny little neck in my hands." He shouted out.

"You can't do that."

"Are you protecting her?" Nnoitra snapped at him.

"No, I'm protecting you." Ulquiorra released his grip. "It would be breaking the third rule."

Nnoitra scoffed before getting up and walking away. Ulquiorra looked over at the lady, who was visibly shaking. He was about to mutter something under his breath but then saw the knife with blood drip off of it. He shook his head as if to shake the thoughts from his mind. She was still weak and frail, nothing would change that. He turned also to walk away, wanting to rest, already over the night's events.

"I didn't need your help." She called out to him, though it was barely more than a croaky whisper.

"Don't think that I was helping you in any way." He stopped, heading back over to her before stating. "You screamed."

She cleared her throat and laughed. "He pulled my hair, don't you realise how long it took me to do?"

He noticed that her hair was out of the pins that kept it up. "If you had just watched out for yourself then you wouldn't have gotten into the situation." He tore off her mask, seeing that he was right when for eyes there were just red diamantes on it. The ribbons that held it were ripped and saw she had her eyes tightly closed. "Open your eyes _mujer_."

She did as he told her, after a few seconds, and what he saw was definitely not what he was expecting. Instead of seeing clear irises and pupils, he saw both her eyes were covered with a milky white, the pupils only differentiated by the purple-grey colour underneath. She giggled at his long silence, but let him continue staring, blinking a few time even though it didn't help her. While he stayed quiet she used the time to return the knife to the garter under her dress, after she wiped it clean.

"Never seen a blind person before?"

He stayed silent, not feeling the need to talk to her.

"As _you_ can see, I'm unable to watch where I'm going."

She walked up to him with her arms in front of her, feeling around. For some reason he thought that she had her arms out in spite of him, instead of actually needing to know where she was going. He didn't know why he stayed in her way when she got to him, her hands touching his clothed chest. He saw her frown slightly as she felt around, she couldn't know that he was still in the same clothes as when she had spilt the wine on him, it had dried long ago. Her fingers moved upwards, towards his mask before she took it off him.

"What are you doing?" Ulquiorra asked, though made no move to stop her.

"I'm trying to see you." She replied, continuing with her ministrations. "How can I properly thank you, when I don't know what you look like?"

He closed his eyes, surrendering for just one moment. Her feather-light touches skimmed over his cheeks, forehead, eyelids and lips. She ran her fingers through his hair, Ulquiorra hissed slightly when she reached some knots and ended up tugging some strands from his scalp. She made her way from his shoulders down to his hands, grabbing each one and feeling each finger. Her fingers trailed all the way back up to his neck and started slowly going down the front of his chest. He suddenly held onto her wrists when she got to the top of his pants.

"_Parada_." He spoke in a harsh whisper.

He looked at the way her tanned skin seemed much darker against his ghastly pale hands. He had been foolish, letting her get this far. Luckily no one had been looking for him or else he would've been made into an idiot. Ulquiorra shoved her to the side and heard her cry out when she knocked the back of her head against the granite wall. He had to catch her again as she almost slid to the floor, unsteady due to the minor head trauma.

"Why do you have to be so mean to a blind person?"

"So what if you lack sight, that makes you worse than every other female here." He scoffed. "Get back to the party before my brother finds you again, _stay _with the crowd this time."

"It isn't like I had a choice." She pouted, storming away from him.

He faced the dead end and pressed in one of the large stone slabs, opening up a secret passage. As he ascended the spiral staircase within one of the circular towers, he started transforming. Large bat-like wings shredded the back of his shirts, staying folded because they were not able to expand in the claustrophobic area. He quickly removed the rest of his clothing before his hands and feet turned into talons. Black fur sprouted from his arms and legs, also covering his waist, and a long thin tail whipped around him.

He reached to top and climbed out, perching on the cone roof. His wings were able to stretch fully and his bat ears twitched in the light wind. He felt liquid drip down his front and touched the blood-like substance that an enlarged hole at his sternum wept. This was one of the only times, when in this form, which he could feel released from any constraints. His dark mood increased tenfold but he didn't care, it was going to help him with what he was about to do.

_Rojo_.

There she was, lying on the ground, hair splayed beneath her. She looked dead. Even from his height he could see the shallow rising of her chest. She was looking up at the sky, arms on her stomach and fingers interlaced. If he didn't know she was blind, Ulquiorra would've been sure she was watching him. _Stupid woman_. He had specifically told her to go back to the crowds. Out here, alone, there were no crowds. He took flight and made his way to the town, needing to get away.

He was in search of someone, anyone who was stupid enough to be out on a night like this one. Doors and windows were locked, something that could be easily changed, but he didn't feel like putting any effort towards it. He soon found her, a woman pacing quickly to her home. As he hovered in the air, she saw his shadow casted from the moonlight. His victim looked up at him with fear, an emotion he was used to seeing. He could tell that she was getting ready to scream, but didn't give her enough time to start any alerting sounds, as a clawed hand covering her mouth.

He looked into the victim's eyes. They showed so much life in their depth and looking at him with just as much terror. Her hair was red in colour, more like a rusty orange, compared to the one that was in his thoughts. The one who had misty white eyes and couldn't see him for what he truly was. She didn't know the meaning of true despair. He struck his other hand out and it went straight through his victim's sternum. He watched her stiffen, eyes now filled with pain and a begging of mercy she will never receive.

He watched the life slowly seep out of her, her bright eyes slowly becoming duller until they stared at him blankly. As he dumped the lifeless body into the river that ran from his home and all the way through town, he realised one thing. He had just broken the first rule.

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**A/N: **Translations.

Perra – b*tch

Gato – slut/sleazy woman

Puta – whore/slut/b*tch

Joder – f*ck

Bicho – lit. "bug", a way to call someone an ugly woman

Rojo – red

Gusano – maggot

Mierda – sh*t

Che – hey, or any other form of greeting

Mujer – woman

Parada – stop


	2. Rules

**A/N: **I decided to split this chapter into two, to stop it from being huge and also that way I can upload this because the other part still needs to be written. Translations at the bottom (there are only a few), enjoy! x

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Dalikamata's Destitute - 2

Ulquiorra held her close against his body, moving to the same slow music as the other couples on the dance floor. They were the only ones unmasked, the only ones who identities could be seen. Everyone else just blended into the background, all that mattered was the woman with him right now, in his arms. His head was near her neck, breathing in her scent of wild flowers and cinnamon. Her red hair had fallen from its confinement of pins and fell over her shoulders. As it fell a few stray strands glided over his face and neck, tickling him slightly but he didn't move.

He wanted her alone, away from the crowds of people, away from their watchful eyes. Together they stopped dancing and he took her hand, leading her to the staircase. Her eyes were blank and not able to show him the questions that ran through her mind. He could tell she confused but her lips remained sealed, not uttering a single word and she followed him with little reluctance. He felt her grip on his hand tighten as he led them up the various stairways and he took care to make sure she wouldn't slip. It didn't take Ulquiorra long to get to his room, closing the door behind her and effectively trapping the lady in his private quarters.

Turning into the monster that was in him, he walked up to her. She just stood there unmoving and no fear could be sensed from her. Why wasn't she afraid? He was a being that should be feared, that _was_ feared. It was because of her blindness and that meant she would never be able to see him, never be able to understand him. It made him frustrated, for some unknown reason. He wanted to see her horror when looking upon him, he wanted her to fight back, to try and escape. All he got was her stillness as she waited for whatever was going to come.

His clawed hand clutched at her neck, squeezing it a little bit and she gasped. It was first normal reaction to come out of her. Her hands found Ulquiorra's furred arm, she tried to feel up more, but the length of his limbs and the grip he had around her neck, stopped her. She couldn't reach much further than his elbow, when she realised this, her hands when back to his wrist and she dug her fingernail in, but it did nothing to harm him. He wanted to kill her. She was such a weak and pathetic woman_. _ Her death, caused by his hand, can be done easily. Not yet though, he would wait just a tiny bit more, it will be soon.

"Wh-what are you?" Her stutter made Ulquiorra smirk. It proved she wasn't immune to the terror of the situation.

"I am a _monstruo_."

Her sharp intake of breath, almost made him laugh. She was showing him what he wanted. Ulquiorra was now going to show her what he was truly capable of. What the thing inside him craved. He released her neck and slowly walked around her, so his chest was touching her back. She started to gather up the ends of her dress, reaching for the only thing that could harm him. She was stopped when he grabbed her arms.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Her gulp could be heard in the silence of the room. Ulquiorra petted her hair a few times before placing both palms of his hands on her cheeks. There was no point being in front of her when he killed her. Her eyes were already dead. There would be nothing to watch.

"What are y-you doing?" She asked hesitantly, her shoulders tensed up with sudden expectation of something bad.

"_Relajarse_." He whispered sensually into her ear and her shoulders lowered. "I'll take care of everything."

Ulquiorra's hands lowered down so they were resting under her jaw. Using very fast motion he twisted her head left and then right. Quick collective snapping sounds were heard. A thump of her body landing on the ground, after being released before his feet, came straight later.

_No deaths shall occur within the castles walls._

The pink haired Szayel, his younger brother, burst into his room. "I thought I heard…" The rest of his sentence was lost when he saw the girl at Ulquiorra's feet. "Did you?"

He looked at Szayel with murderous intent. "Does it matter if it was me?"

Finding any possible bravery inside himself, Szayel stood up to his brother, knowing he was going to fight a losing battle. "Father will find out about this. He will not be happy."

"He will not find out."

Ulquiorra walked over to Szayel, who started quivering. This pleased him. It made him want to see more of the fear and fright possible within the boy. There wasn't enough time though. Their other siblings were bound to come to his room sooner or later. After that there would be no escaping, nowhere to hide and his father would most likely kill him for his disobedience. That was a fate he didn't want, so he had to be very hasty with what he was about to do. His wings extended casting shadows throughout the room with the little light there was. His hand made its way through his brother's sternum and Szayel coughed up some blood while he tried to speak.

"There's no point talking, it will just make your death quicker."

Szayel lowered his head and fell to his knees when Ulquiorra removed his blood covered arm. Another thud came and he looked at the two bodies now occupying his floor. One was a bloody mess, and the other still looking pristine.

_Never harm a brother or sister._

His gazed lingered on the female. He went over to her and cleared her face from all the stray hairs covering it. Picking her up bridal style he carried her to his four-poster bed, placing her under the covers of the side he normally slept in. He had no connection to the woman, _felt _no connection. Ulquiorra certainly had no feelings for her. She was beautiful even with her blank eyes staring up at him. They were still open and started to make him feel uncomfortable, as if in her death she could now finally see him.

He closed them gently with his fingers, not wanting to look in the milky orbs any longer. He wasn't sad that she was gone. He did feel something though. An emotion he never had before, one that he couldn't name. He remembered back to earlier that night. Why was he dancing with her? Where had their masks gone? He couldn't for the life, or _death_ of him, recollect any of his memories from that day and evening.

_Kill without remorse._

He wiped the blood from his arm and stood to leave, passing his brother on the floor. The blood had pooled around the boy, staining his clothes and hair. If he didn't know what had happened, the red liquid could be mistaken for a great deal of red wine. Ulquiorra left his room and to his surprise entered another room. A place he had never seen before, but the details were so clear and vivid. There was a person in the bed, his _heina_, just lying there looking so innocent. _How is she alive?_

He felt his body move on its own accord, everything he did was again his will, only his mind stayed sane. She turned about in her sleep as he sat down beside her, the bed dipped under the weight. The morning sun's rays filtered through the opened curtains, shining on her face. Her eyes fluttered and she woke up, blinking a few times she started to rise in a seated position. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she looked around her room, though she couldn't see anything. As if sensing him, her focus turned to him.

"Is that you..?"

Ulquiorra thought he heard her say his name, but how is she able to speak a name she doesn't know? Holding her hand, he brought it to his cheek, moving closer to her so that she had access to all of him. She didn't move her hand. A smile lit up her face and if her sight worked, he would be sure joy could've been seen in them. _Why is she happy to be with me?_ He was confused, he didn't know what to make out of everything that was happening. He was a monster.

He looked around the room, to stop himself from concentrating on her. Paintings covered the walls in an attempt to brighten up the dull place. Ulquiorra thought the decorations were pointless, she was blind. If she had a comfy bed in a dungeon, he doubted she would be able to tell the difference. She was never going to see unless some outstanding miracle happened, but he didn't believe in miracles or false hope. He was brought back to her as she moved her fingertips to his lips, his eyes going to her own which were still upturned in a smile.

"Are we going for that picnic today..?"

"_Si._" Although he replied with the affirmative, inside his mind he was shouting out the opposite.

Ulquiorra was sure he would get ridiculed if ever seen in public having a _picnic_. As her smile widened he couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked despite her eyes. She leaned in closer to him and he could tell they were about to kiss. Before their lips touched she faded away, disappearing right in front of him. The room he was in started to disintegrate, the walls crumbling away and the paintings falling into nothingness. Torches lit the path he was now on, he recognised it as the basement under the castle. Following the way led by torches, he saw a man at the end, standing behind a chair. It was Lord Aizen, his father.

"My _hijo_," Aizen greeted. "There's something I need you to do for me."

"What is it?" He looked to the sides and saw all his siblings in two straight lines on either side of him, there was a gap in one line where he was supposed to stand.

"Kill Francisca here." He patted the lady in the chair in front of him, on the shoulder. She flinched at his touch. "Drive that sword through her heart."

Ulquiorra looked down to see that he was indeed holding a sword. It reminded him of a Japanese katana, something a samurai would use.

Aizen noticed his resistance so continued. "Do this and everything will be paid for, you will be free."

He saw that the woman had no blindfold on. There was no need for one. He dropped his gaze to the katana again, it had green thread weaved around the hilt. Ulquiorra walked forward until he was in from of her, he gripped the hilt of the katana in both of his hands. He pulled it backwards a bit, stopping for just a few seconds, before pushed the blade through the left side of her chest. She jolted out of her trembling and then remained still, head drooping so her chin touched her chest.

_No deaths shall occur within the castles walls._

His father started clapping, commending his wonderful work. Yammy ran up to him in horror, the boy had never seen death before. He was young and even though he attended the weekly meetings, he had no idea what they were really about.

"Why did you do that _hermano_?" His youngest brother cried out. "She was just sitting there."

"Get out of my way." Ulquiorra harshly pushed the boy out of his way, making him land on his backside a few metres away.

_Never harm a brother or sister._

He walked away from them all, his father, his siblings and his _heina_. He stopped at the unfamiliar term in his mind, he remember calling her it in her room. A room he had never set foot in before. He turned around but saw nothing. Either they had all disappeared or he was too far away. The realisation of the crime he committed fresh in his mind. He ran back, along the path, but only saw torches in the distance and no real end in sight. Ulquiorra fell to his knees much like when he had killed Szayel in his room, giving up, it was no use. There would be no end. Two single tears ran down his cheeks, the same colour as his eyes.

_Kill without remorse._

* * *

Ulquiorra woke up doused with sweat, never had he ever dreamt like that before. It felt so real, but as he looked around his room, there was no bloody mess on the ground and no broken girl on his bed. He noticed Tier sitting on the window sill, staring outside. She had a leg off the ledge inside, just swinging it aimlessly. How long had she been there? Did she notice his discomfort? He stared at her until she removed her gaze from outside to his direction.

"You were having a troubled sleep when I walked in."

He stayed in the bed. Normally he would've gotten out and started getting changed, but after coming through his window last night and turning back into a human, he went straight to sleep. So right now, he was naked and had no intention of letting his sister get a look at him, luckily he had slept under the covers. Ulquiorra tried to calm his breathing. He looked down at the tattoo on his left pectoral muscle, the rising and lowering caused by his breaths slowed down. He fell onto his back, looking up at the top of his bed.

"Who is _Francisca_?"

"_Nadie_." He spat the word out, making it clear he didn't want to talk about it.

Her curiosity piqued, she had always thought her brother to be uninterested with the female gender. Tier went as far as to think he had antipathic sexual instinct. Something she would never tell him she thought, ever.

"You repeated her name a few times, you seemed worried for her." She was just about to leave before turning around. "There's a meeting in a few minutes, try not to be late."

As soon as she left, he quickly got changed, into just his normal tunic and cotton pants. He was glad his other outfit had been torn. It meant he wouldn't be able to wear it again. Ulquiorra didn't want to be late to the meeting, he was always known for being there on time, but the dining room was so far away. It was where all the meetings were held and was down on the third floor of the castle. His father chose this place to hold the meetings because it gave a _family_ feeling. They rarely sat down as a real family there to eat.

Yammy started following him downstairs as soon as he left the bedroom. The dining room was on the far side of the floor, in one of the most inconvenient places. This was a room that couldn't be escaped easily, so if his father was angry, everyone would experience his wrath. Entering the room he saw Aizen at the head of the long table, beside him were Ulquiorra's Uncles, Kaname and Gin. The creepy smile and rigid pose of both seniors were equally disturbing. He saw in his father's hand was the discarded mask he wore the night before, the one with green marks over its cheeks. He took his seat across from Grimmjow near the head of the table and Aizen handed over his mask. Something fell out of it and Ulquiorra saw it was the mask that belonged to the red headed lady.

"Gin found them at the dead end on the ground floor." His voice sounded amused, but his eyes told a different story. "Be careful next time."

Ulquiorra nodded, placing both masks on the table. He kept his full attention on his father who was about to begin the meeting.

"I'll try keep this short." Aizen took a sip of his tea, not bothering to offer any to the others. "Ulquiorra and Yammy," He gave the youngest a pleasantly fake smile, "are the only ones to have completed their quota, so early during the week as well."

"But I haven't done anything!" Yammy called out, just to be hushed by Aaroniero who was sitting next to the boy.

"Be quiet, you'll find out all about it next year." The dark haired brother whispered.

"For the rest of you, I expect you to get them done before the week has ended." He gave one last final smile before dismissing everyone, a lot were feeling annoyed that they had been called to a meeting that was so short.

Ulquiorra was the last to leave but was stopped by his father, who waited a while before he began talking. This meant that Aizen wanted to talk to him about something private and not risk anybody eavesdropping. "Did you enjoy last night? I saw you dancing with Loly."

"I hate any social gathering you hold and that wasn't my choice."

"It's impressive that you killed so many people in just three days, but I didn't expect any less from you. I can _always_ count on you." He placed a hand on the younger one's shoulder. "There is… something I need you to do for me."

"What is it?" Ulquiorra asked, trying not to sound interested. _Just more work_. He repeated in his mind, but he was reminded of his dream and how badly it ended.

"Not what… _who_." His father's smile widen more than usual. "Her name is Francisca Salazar."

"You want me to _do_ the blind woman?" Humour was not his strong point but Ulquiorra didn't want to use the word _kill_ just in case it ended up being correct.

Aizen laughed. "Of course not, if it were that easy I would just ask Grimmjow. It seems to be his field of expertise." He paused, but continued when Ulquiorra didn't say anything. "I want you to give her a tour of the town, make her feel welcomed in a place that is unknown to her."

"Unknown?" He asked, thinking she had lived in the town below for a much longer time.

"_Si_. Her family moved here a month ago. I had told the others a few days ago but that was when you were _busy_." He turned around, facing away from him. "Anyway, her father died recently. I can trust you the most to know that you won't get involved with her."

"Okay." He didn't see the point in arguing with the man, no matter how much he didn't want to do the job.

His father had a plan for everything and if in this plan he was supposed to play tour guide then that was going to happen, whether he liked it or not. He also didn't see the point in giving a blind person a tour at all. How would she even be able to sightsee without any sight? It was a useless job for an equally useless woman.

"I need you to head over there now." His father spoke over the internal thoughts of Ulquiorra's head. "Any longer, they might decide to leave town and that's the last thing we need."

* * *

**A/N: **Translations.

Monstruo – monster

Relajarse – relax

Heina – slang for girl/woman/girlfriend

Si – yes

Hijo – son

Hermano – brother

Nadie – nobody


	3. Scenic Values

**A/N: **The second part of the last chapter. Translations are at the bottom, enjoy! x

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Dalikamata's Destitute - 3

The trip was bumpy, considering it was one of the finest carriages drawn by two black Friesian horses. The carriage made its way down to the town, it was a trip that would've taken him a few minutes of flight but was taking over an hour. Since it was daylight he couldn't risk being seen by anyone. He mused over his father's reasons for wanting this, but he couldn't think of anything that would make any sense. It was obviously some dark purpose and Ulquiorra could help but remember the vivid dream he had the night before.

The carriage made it into the town and he decided to walk the rest of the way. He got a few questionable stares from the townsfolk. His skin was so pale it probably looked like he had never been out in the sun before and for the most part that was true. He had just gotten used to the glare from the sun on the way over and now being exposed to it, he wished he stayed with the carriage. He followed the directions his father gave him and soon Ulquiorra was at his destination.

He was outside her house, and started knocking on the door. When there was no reply he knocked even harder, about to knock a third time the door opened revealing Francisca. It took her a few tries to grab him but eventually she pulled him inside and quickly closed the door behind them. As if sensing him about to speak, she tried to silence him with a finger but ended up poking him in the nose. He held her hand and placed it on his lips, where she had been aiming, earning him a small smile from the girl. Upon realising what he just did, Ulquiorra slapped her hand away scowling at his own unconscious action.

"What are you doing _mujer_?"

"Be quiet." She said in a hushed whisper. "_Madre_ is baking."

He stayed silent giving her an incredulous look before realising that she was blind and couldn't see his expression. "Why do I need to be quiet?" He asked after they were in the same spot for a while, it annoyed him that his question came out in a whisper.

"She is still mourning father's death."

"Shouldn't you be mourning for him?" The idea of her being in the kitchen didn't seem right. She would most likely cut her own fingers off if it were to happen.

"I have no tears to shed for that man." Francisca's voice was bitter and a glower covered her face, which didn't suit her features.

There was a nice smell coming from the place he assumed was the kitchen. Francisca pulled him to the kitchen and he was secretly amazed at the way she weaved in-between the furniture that cluttered the living area. The pastry and dough smells became even more distinct and stronger once inside the small area. By herself was her mother, perhaps over-kneading the dough in front of her. As she sang softly too herself there were tears streaming down her face, she would hiccup every so often when being overwhelmed with sadness.

"I wouldn't recommend anything she offers you to eat." Francisca whispered into his ear, so she wouldn't be overheard by the maternal figure. How she had found his ear without him noticing was beyond him. "I'm sure everything is going to be contaminated."

"Let's just get this over with."

Ulquiorra grabbed her arm, dragging her through the mess to the front door, going outside. He paid no attention to the surroundings of the living area, but could see a dirty substance on the floor. Ulquiorra didn't bother to stop and inspect it, having an idea what it could be. The clutter of the room irritated him and he couldn't wait until they were in the fresh air, even if he had to endure the sun.

"_Madre_, I'm just going for a walk!" Francisca called out, but only to deaf ears, the smells from the kitchen becoming more distant.

Once outside, Ulquiorra felt one of her arms entwined with one of his. Her other hand was trying to rub all the sore spots he caused her with his careless leading. He didn't bother holding her closer, he didn't need any reminder of the way she smelt. The wildflowers and cinnamon easily recognisable even after the pastry scents. A lot more townsfolk were out, going about their daily chores. Francisca leant her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed. This earned strange looks from those who passed them, the ones who knew about his stoic nature had expressions filled with shock.

"Where are we going?" She asked, lifting her head when he had budged his shoulder for her to get off of it.

"I'm giving you a tour of the town." He saw her smile up at him. "They're orders from my father, so don't think that I'm doing this because I want to."

"Of course, you would never want to lose that reputation of yours…" Francisca was surprised after all this time of knowing him she didn't know what to call him. "What is your name?"

"Ulquiorra."

"I'm Francisca."

"I know."

"Oh."

They left each other in silence after that, just walking around the town. She was trying to pay close attention to the sounds around her, but her thoughts always returned to the guy she was holding onto. He was obviously wearing expensive male perfume and the smell of it invaded her nostrils. It wasn't a disgusting smell. It just took Francisca a while to get used to. When she was used to it, she found herself wanting to lean on his shoulder again, but after the way that ended badly the first time, she decided against it.

He walked throughout the town and into a marketplace that was bustling with people. It made him uncomfortable not only being around so many but Francisca's grip around his arm tightened considerably. He tried to unfasten her hold but she wouldn't let go, so he just moved away from the crowds to the quieter side of the town. Soon the houses were behind them and they were left alone together, next to the place he had dumped the young lady he killed last night.

"Explain to me what you see." She broke the silence and he looked at her, seeing the way she moved her head as if trying to see everything around her.

Ulquiorra took his time looking at the scene around him, glad that there was no body in the waters. "We are next to a blue river and there are trees, their bark is brown and their leaves are the same colour as your hair."

She stopped walking, causing him to also stop and laughed at him. "Ulquiorra, I have been blind since birth. Colours mean nothing to me. I don't even know the colour of my hair. You need to describe the way this place makes you feel, for me to understand." She placed a hand over his heart. "How does it feel in here?"

"I have no heart." He took her hand and placed it around his arm, he started walking again. "I feel nothing. Emotions are pathetic and are only shown as a sign of weakness."

"That's impossible." She stated, trying to get in front of him to stop him. "I'm sure you've felt annoyed or bored before."

"Fine." Ulquiorra stopped and looked at her, though he knew she couldn't see him or his expressions. "Right now I am bored and you are really annoying me. I want to throw you into the river behind you and drown you until you lay limp."

Francisca smiled. "Can we wade in the river instead?"

"No."

"How about we go for a picnic?"

He paused, thinking back to his dream. He shook his head. There would be no way he would ever agree to such a thing. "No." He said for a second time.

She frowned, unsure of what other possibilities there could be. "Well, what do you want to do?"

"I want to take you home."

Francisca turned around and started dragging him into the direction that was her home. He had no idea how she was so precise with her movements but didn't ask. He wanted no part in a conversation with her. Ulquiorra stared ahead of them, becoming the eyes and steering her clear of possible collisions. He should've just let her bump into the people but he remembered his father's words. What could Lord Aizen want with this family? Was it something to do with the mother, or was it the daughter?

His gazed went back to her red hair. She had it down, much like it was during his dream. He couldn't believe that she didn't know what it looked like. How beautifully unnatural it seemed against everyone who was so dull. For a second he wanted to be invited into her room, just to see if the details were the same. They came up to her house and were standing outside the front door. She turned into him and had her hand over his heart, feeling it beat under his chest.

"I want to try something out."

He stupidly nodded but she took his silence as acceptance. Using another hand she felt up his chest, onto his face and touching his lips. She rose onto her tiptoes and moved her fingers away so that her lips could replace them. His lips were surprisingly soft and she faintly smiled. There were two things that Francisca noticed as she pulled away. One, his heart beat remained the same during her actions. Two, he hadn't done anything to push her away like she had been expecting.

"Hmm… maybe you are heartless after all." She tilted her head to the side with an apathetic expression over her features. "I know you probably don't care, but you remind me of… _someone_ I have met."

Ulquiorra was left there standing dumbfounded as she went back into her house, closing the door without looking back at him. The trip back to the castle was quiet and any background noise was ignored. He usually preferred it this way because it left him with his thoughts. Right now, he didn't want to be left alone, not with who was on his mind. His hand slowly went to his lips, remembering how gentle she had been with him. _Stupid woman_. One kiss wasn't going to make him start feeling. It was going to take a whole lot more than that.

Francisca was lying in bed, listening to the argument that was happening outside her room. Little did she know that there was someone else nearby, just waiting for the right time to kill, also listening to the commotion inside.

"She's an abomination!" Her father shouted, not caring if the whole town were to hear him.

"Don't talk like that about our _hija_." Francisca could always trust her mother to defend her, but it didn't make her feel any better with her father's harsh words.

"We should have killed her when she was born!" Her father started stomping around, moving the cluttered furniture out of his way. "How are we supposed to marry her off when she is as blind as a bat?"

It turned quiet and Francisca could just make out the sobs of her mother. Every week they would have the same argument and it ended at her mother's expense. There were only a few townsfolk that knew about her blindness, the family had just recently moved here and didn't know many people. In their last town she was considered a freak, abnormal and they ended up kicking her family out of the town, if they continued to let her live. She tried to stay inside all that she could, only to leave if absolutely necessary.

This morning they had all gotten invitation to the _Noche de los Muertos_ celebration being held by Lord Aizen up in his castle. Her mother had taken her out so that they could get themselves some fancy dresses, they couldn't afford much but it made her happy that her mother was happy. The happiness didn't last long when her father found out about it. Francisca had been slapped, firstly because she left the house without his permission and secondly for letting his wife spend so much of his _well-earned_ money on such useless garments.

By now she was right next to her door, Francisca heard her father picking up her mother and carrying her to their bedroom, before coming back out and presumably sitting on one of the chair. Most likely to drink away his money with the hard liquor he spends it on, one bottle costing more than the two dresses combined had. She started to shiver, a cool breeze coming in from behind her. She couldn't see anything but was sure she had closed once entering the room. Turning around to shut it, she bumped into a tall figured. She took a deep breathe about to let out a scream when a hand covered her mouth.

"Callado!" Ulquiorra spoke sharply and in a whisper so that the male in the other room wouldn't hear him.

He had been roaming around the town, looking for an easy victim but there had been no one outside. He had heard some loud shouting from a house nearby and felt drawn to go there. Through a window he saw a young woman with rich red hair that fell below her shoulders. He wasn't afraid if she saw him because then he would just kill her and that would be his quota done. He noticed how her head didn't move towards the window when he cast a shadow inside her room and found it strange.

The room itself was dull. There was a painting on each wooden wall, of landscapes he had never seen before. He watched as the lady got out of her bed, she was wearing a chemise that reached her mid-thigh which rose a bit higher as she walked to her door. Ulquiorra decided now was as good as any time to enter the room, when she turned around he saw her eyes for the first time. They were blank. That explained why she couldn't see his shadow and also the shouting from the man that was her father.

He felt her continue shivering, unsure whether it was because of her fear or because he had left the window opened. Her breathing slowed against his clawed hand and he removed it, risking the chance of her screaming and alerting the others of his presence in the house. She reached out to him and immediately recoiled when she felt the liquid running down his chest. She rubbed her thumbs over the sticky substance on her hands as if trying to recognise what it was.

"What are you?" She whispered at him, getting the hint of danger if she didn't stay quiet.

"A _monstruo_."

She wouldn't let him see her fear. She had assumed the being in front of her was male because of his voice. "Are you… here to kill me?" Her voice betrayed her with the hesitance. Even though she couldn't see anything, Francisca shut her eyes as if preparing for an inevitable death.

"No." He pushed her onto the bed and left the room through the door.

Her father was holding an alcoholic beverage to his chest as if he was nursing a baby. Hearing a door open, he expected to see his blind daughter but instead saw a tall creature with wings protruding from his back. The being's irises were visible against the dark pupils and sclera. At first he thought that he was hallucinating, monsters like this just didn't exist. The creature moved towards him slowly, prowling towards the prey. He wasn't thinking straight and didn't shout out as a hand went around his neck, lifting him in the air. The other hand went straight through his sternum, killing the man who slumped to the ground after the being let go of him.

Francisca gasped from behind him. She had been standing at the door and could hear everything, from the steps of the monster to the squelching of blood and then finally the death of her father. She couldn't find it in her to form tears for the man who resented her the whole time she grew up. They were never close and as she got older he would always find ways to physically harm her. Once her mother finds the body of her husband, everything will be completely disastrous.

He turned to look at her, the way she moved and could sense those around her made him question whether she was actually blind or not. Her milky orbs proved that she was blind. There was no way she could see out of them. As he moved towards her she backed away, tripping over her own feet but he caught her before she hit the ground. Ulquiorra reasoned that it was because he didn't want her making a large din and not because he wanted to be close to her.

"Why aren't you crying?" He asked only knowing women to be emotional creatures, apart from his sister. "I _matado_ him."

"Are you going to kill me now?" She whispered as her hand touched the hole in his chest not backing away from it.

He closed his eyes as her finger traced around the edge of the hole. It felt strange but wasn't unpleasant. Her hand went up to his face and to the top on his head where his ears were. As he felt her hands feeling his ears, they twitched and she started to giggle. This angered him and he dropped her on the ground to stand.

"_Mujer_, stop laughing." He ordered, but she didn't listen to him.

Ulquiorra spread his wings as far as the room would allow and started to move them. Her hair whipped around and he could see the beginning of tears in her eyes due to the onslaught of wind. He got what he wanted and she did stop her laughing. Francisca stood up and held her arms out in front of her, touching his chest and moving them to his shoulders.

"Can I touch your wings?" As Francisca said it she felt silly, wings do not exist. The being in front of her shouldn't even be alive. She had felt the hole and was pretty sure it went through his entire body.

After she could feel no more wind, she assumed that this was his silent way of saying yes to her question. She stood closer to him, not wanting to walk around, just in case she bumped into the things she wanted to touch. Tentatively she reached behind him, she was sure that the liquid weeping out of the hole was going to stain her chemise, but she didn't care. Her fingers felt the leathery and slightly hairy wing and she began to stroke it, enjoying the feeling under her hand. Francisca squealed softly as something wrapped around her waist, lifting her up and throwing her onto the bed.

"No more." He held her hands above her head, his tail tightening around her waist. "No more touching, I should just kill you now."

She held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut once again. "It would be easy, I can't even see you. Any possibility of fighting you would be useless."

"I won't, not yet." He left quietly, closing the window after him. Forgetting about the body and disposing of it like he should have.

Francisca fell asleep and woke up to her mother's screaming early in the morning. She had thought the previous night had been a dream, but the news of her father's death brought her back to the reality of it all. She didn't care about her father. All she wanted to know was where her monster, the one with the hole in his chest, was and why he kept her alive.

* * *

**A/N: **Translations.

Mujer – woman

Madre – mother

Hija – daughter

Noche de los muertos – night of the dead

Callado - be quiet

Monstruo – monster

Matado – killed


	4. Fatal Concoction

**A/N: **It has been almost a month since my last upload, sorry! D: But the fourth chapter is now here! Other chapters should come along much more quickly, enjoy! x

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Dalikamata's Destitute - 4

Ulquiorra was searching for his pink haired brother and wasn't surprised to see him working away in the alchemist lab their father had made just for Szayel. The younger brother was leaning over a table crushing together different herbs and other ingredients, creating a disgusting mixture that made him want to vomit when entering the room. The reason he was here was because the last few nights he had trouble sleeping. _Francisca_, the blind woman, found her way into his dreams. The proper term should be nightmares, because they always ended with her death.

He didn't know whether to be glad that he wasn't experiences intimate dreams about her. Or to be repulsed that out of all the women he knew, it was only _her_ that frequented his sleep. It wasn't as if he was interesting in anyone else, or anyone at all for that matter. Ulquiorra didn't know why he cared that she died every time all he knew was that he needed a remedy to this madness and the only person capable of delivery it was Szayel.

"_Hermano_, I need you to make me something."

"What is it you need?" He didn't look up from his work, but Ulquiorra knew he was alert and listening intently.

Ulquiorra took a seat on the nearest chair, looking at the odd assortments on the shelves. "I've just been having some trouble with sleep. It is nothing to worry about. I just need something to help with it."

"What are these dreams about?" Szayel grabbed a bunch of raspberries and started to crush them with a pestle and mortar. His previous mixture was left on the table forgotten.

"That's none of your business Szayel." Ulquiorra stated. "I don't see what that has got to do with anything."

"Would it involve a certain blind red-headed girl?" Szayel knew he hit the mark when Ulquiorra stiffened.

"Don't make me repeat myself." He gritted out.

Szayel grabbed some yellow bell-like flowers from the back shelf and proceeded to crush them up just like everything else he had put into a small vial. When adding the flower mush the liquid started to sizzle and released an awful smell. It was strong even to Ulquiorra who was sitting far away, he didn't want to imagine what it would've been like for his brother.

"Was that supposed to happen?"

"_Si_, it means that your remedy is finished." Szayel handed Ulquiorra the small vial which had a reddish substance in it. "I added the raspberries for flavour and colour. Wouldn't be very appetizing if it looked like vomit, would it?"

With Szayel's words, he felt like doing what the substance would've normally looked like. "What else is in it?" Ulquiorra asked, tilting the solution so that it sloshed against the sides of the vial.

"Like I said, there are raspberries in it as well as a large dose of valerian." Szayel put away the rest of the flowers that weren't used. "I've also added a small amount of a secret ingredient, to help with the effects. You should have dreamless sleeps for the next few nights."

"When should I take it?"

"Right before you go to sleep."

Ulquiorra nodded and left the lab, he placed the vial in one of his pockets, hoping that it was durable enough to not break.

After his brother left, Szayel smirked and started to laugh, muttering. "_Idiota_." He continued working on the original solution he had been creating before the interruption. It was something that his father had requested and wanted to be done before the next day.

* * *

"Ulquiorra…" Coyote came into his room, holding his sleeping daughter in his arms. "I need you to look after Lilynette while I go out."

"No." He grimaced as his older brother ignored him and placed the sleeping girl on his bed. "Get Tier to look after her."

"Tier is also busy and I don't trust Baraggan." He sat on the bed, looking over at Ulquiorra. "Please,this will be the only time I ask you to do something."

"You say that every other time. Where are you going?"

"I've got to finish my quota, don't want father getting mad at me again." Coyote stood to leave.

"Don't kill in the town." Ulquiorra whispered, before his brother left, blatantly ignoring the _thing_ on his bed.

Coyote gave in to a chuckle. "Your blind girl is safe. While you are looking after Lilynette, think of it as practice for when you and _Francisca_ have a baby. You have already started courting her." He barely had time to duck as a shoe came flying his way.

"Get out!" Ulquiorra seethed.

"It's true. Father sent her a necklace, saying it was from you." His brother laughed once again before finally leaving him alone.

Ulquiorra stared at the girl on his bed, who had pale green hair. Lilynette's mother had been human. She died after giving birth to the half-monster babe. It had been thought that they were all infertile, they were monsters there was no reason to reproduce. Attempts to get Tier pregnant had gone to waste and the way Nelliel frolicked about with Grimmjow, it was the only explanation in his mind for why she too didn't support a swelling belly.

Coyote was handsome and quite the charmer when he felt like it, most of the time he spent around the castle lazing around. He always waited until the last possible day before getting his quota done. The eldest brother would usually find a willing girl, sleep with her and then kill her. That's how he got his quota. There had been one he didn't kill though, he had left her alive. No one apart from Coyote himself knew the real reason behind it, whether it had been on purpose or by accident. Lilynette was born, the mother died. There weren't much details involved. Coyote was punished dearly by their father. It was a warning for anyone else who would decide to do the same.

He tried not to think about it, even if he could handle the repercussions from his father, there was no reason for him to want a child. If Lilynette were to be made an example out of, the devil child was more of a monster than all of them put together, with maybe the exception of Nnoitra. The only time she was tolerable was when she was asleep, or with Tier. He grabbed extra blankets and made his own bed on the floor, there was no way he would sleep with the child.

Ulquiorra took the vial from his pocket and sniffed it after uncorking it. He could smell the raspberries, but there was another underlying smell he couldn't identify. After coming up with nothing, he drank all of its contents. It was time for him to sleep and he hoped that what Szayel made would do the trick. It took a while for the substance to get through his system and start working. He lay there staring at his ceiling, something he wouldn't have been able to do in his own bed. He tried not to think about Francisca. Her red hair, the way she had the audacity to kiss him, the slight frown of her lips when he didn't respond. _Kill or be killed_. It was Ulquiorra's last thought before he was finally able to sleep.

* * *

Upon waking up it took Ulquiorra a while to realise that he indeed had a dreamless sleep. Though he was never one to be happy about something, he found himself in a much better mood. It also helped that when he awoke, he noticed that Lilynette wasn't in his bed and nothing inside his room was destroyed. Coyote must've gotten home early and taken care of her. He thought it odd that on the way to the dining room he found a lot more servants running about than usual.

Ulquiorra found out exactly what the fuss was about as soon as he entered the dining room. Sitting near the head of the table on each side of his father was Francisca and her mother. Lord Aizen was smiling pleasantly at the two guests, though one of them couldn't see this. The mother's cheeks were tinged with pink, most likely because of the amount of wine she had been consuming. Francisca was slowly sipping at her glass, he noticed, inwardly he was glad she wasn't drinking like the mother.

"Ulquiorra, it is nice of you to join us." His father spoke clearly, his eyes flickering over to Francisca as her mood lightened considerably.

She looked over to him as he stood in the doorway. Her eyes were as blank as ever. Smiling, she beckoned him over to sit with her. Waiting a few more second, Ulquiorra then moved. He didn't want her to think he was going over to her because she wanted him to. His plate had already been filled with food and he wondered where the rest of his siblings were. They weren't in the room and he noticed that neither were both of his Uncle's. It gave him a strange feeling, which wasn't just caused by the strange flip his stomach did.

"I'm actually glad you're here Ulquiorra." Lord Aizen took a long sip of his tea. "I was thinking that you should give Francisca a full tour of the castle. I have some things I want to discuss with Reyna." He turned to the mother who blushed profusely at the mention of her name.

"I would rather-"

"Oh, that isn't-"

Ulquiorra and Francisca spoke at the same time and then stopped simultaneously after realising the other was speaking. She giggled a bit before taking another sip of her wine. He hadn't even bothered touching any of the food on his plate. The sick feeling inside his stomach threatened to take over him and he knew that if he tried to eat, it wouldn't stay down for long.

"It wasn't a suggestion." His father was careful not to make his voice sound too harsh and instead used a light scolding tone. "I'm sure Francisca would love to be shown around."

"Only if it is okay with Ulquiorra, I don't want to be a bother." She turned to him, smiling gently.

"It is fine." Ulquiorra tried his best not to glare at his father.

He stood and held onto Francisca's hand to lift her up with him. Reyna gave him a warm smile that he chose to ignore. Didn't she have any sense that this was dangerous? Of course not, he was sure that if the girl he was holding had any sight that she would fall for his father's charms as well, if she hadn't already without her sight. Ulquiorra didn't want to care about her wellbeing, this was just a job. _Just like the quota I need to get again_.

He led her to the courtyard. It was in the middle of the castle, a square opening and because of the high walls surrounding it, no wind entered. The sun beat down on them as they sat down on one of the stone benches. Sitting together they were silent, both were aware of the other's closeness and each breath they took filled their ears. Francisca didn't let go of Ulquiorra and stifled a giggle as he stiffened when she rested her head on his shoulder. Although all she saw was darkness anyway, she closed her eyes as if it would make her enjoy the peace even more.

"I want to thank you for the necklace." Her fingers automatically went to the piece of jewellery around her neck. "I don't know what it looks like but _madre_said it suited my eyes."

His eyes went straight to the necklace that he had allegedly given her. It was a milky white opal linked to a silver chain. "It is an opal. The owner of one is believed to be given the gift of prophecy and foresight. It can also protect against diseases."

"I don't think anything could cure me of my blindness, but _gracias_." She had been aiming to kiss his cheek but reached his ear instead, Francisca laughed at her own silliness. It was much louder to him since she was so close. "I don't suppose you could explain to me what you see?" She asked, tightening her grip around his arm.

"Not in the way you want me to."

Francisca pouted and stood up, trying to bring him with her. "You should show me your bedroom."

That got his attention and he stood instantly, the momentum of him movement made her unbalanced and he had to catch her before she fell backwards. "_Mujer_, why would you want to see my bedroom? You have no sight." All he could think about was what he did to her when he had taken her to his bedroom in his dream.

"It would help me try and understand you. I could _feel_ around, try and sense more of you." She emphasized 'feel' by pushing hard against his chest, even though she knew he wouldn't budge.

"_Parada_. You have already touched me once you don't nee-" His sentence was stopped by a huge coughing fit that took over him.

Ulquiorra fell to his hands and knees bringing Francisca down with him. As he coughed, blood sprayed onto the grass of the courtyard. He knew he hadn't been feeling well since he had woken up but never thought it was this bad. What was happening to him?

She tried to figure out what was wrong, falling to the ground was a sudden change and she was confused to what was happening. All she could hear was his coughing and as she felt around, her hand pressed on something wet and sticky. "What's happening Ulquiorra? Are you okay"

"Get away from me _mujer_. I am fin-"

She didn't believe him for a second and tried to get him to sit up. It was times like these that Francisca felt useless. Having no sight could be such a burden in times of emergencies. "No, I can't leave you like this."

"Pathetic." Ulquiorra muttered after another one of his bloody coughing fits passed. "Take me to my room."

"If you haven't noticed, I am _blind_. I can't see." As she argued, Francisca tried to find where his hands were. After finding one she placed it around her shoulder and attempted to lift him up. "You will have to direct me."

He lifted himself up, coughing in his other hand to try and not get any blood on her. "_Avanzar_."

She followed his instructions and soon they were back in the castle. Francisca was feeling quite proud of herself for making it so far, even with the weight of the man she was helping to stand, close to bringing her down again. As she made it to the staircase, there was a loud banging and she jolted to the side falling over and knocking her head on one of the stairs. Ulquiorra cursed as he hit the banister. He was able to hold onto it to keep himself upright.

"Are you okay?" He heard her ask from below him.

"_Si_, how are you feeling?" He didn't bother addressing her like he normally would and also didn't want her to think that he cared which is why he added bitterly. "Get up here already _mujer_, we are almost there."

She felt him grab onto her and pull her up, he continued using the banister and keeping the majority of his weight from her until they reached the top. Francisca placed her arms around him again and was careful to not let him bump into anything else. If she had been concentrating properly to begin with, he never would've gotten hurt. Generally she was fine with moving around, usually listening to the echoes of her footsteps to gather where about she was, similar to the way a bat would screech and the echoes it heard back would determine how enclosed it was.

"It is the fourth door to your left."

Francisca felt around for the door handle before opening it and kept moving forward until she counted four. Ulquiorra found it strange that none of his siblings were anywhere to be seen. Someone like Grimmjow or Yammy would've been curious to see what was going on outside their room, but no one interrupted them. She took him to his bed without the need of anymore instructions and at that moment he coughed and blood soaked into her dress. He couldn't see any look of disgust on her features as she got him to lie down, stroking his hair so that the strands that usually covered his forehead were to the side.

"It's going to be okay." Francisca murmured. The sound of his coughing is all that she could hear and wishing she knew how to help him, she silently prayed.

* * *

Tier was in the basement along with the rest of her siblings. Earlier that morning their father had _suggested_ they stay here all day. She didn't have a good feeling about what could be going on above and didn't trust what her father was up to. No one was stupid enough to oppose him. She knew something was wrong, she didn't know how she knew but with Szayel snickering every so often she had a feeling he had something to do with it.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I'm sure Ulquiorra is feeling quite down right now." Szayel replied, pushing his glasses further up his nose, laughing again.

"_Joder_ Szayel! What did you do?" Grimmjow asked, getting restless. He was tired of being stuck down here. It was bad enough that Nelliel wasn't here to keep him company but he had to put up with all his siblings, some who really could piss him off.

"Don't blame me. It was _Lord Aizen_'s idea. I was just being a loyal son."

"What did you do Szayel?" Coyote decided to start some questioning as well.

The pink haired man had his back flat against the wall with everyone apart from Nnoitra glaring at him. He held his hands up as if surrendering. "Father told me the Ulquiorra would most likely come to me for a sleeping remedy and that I was to add some aconitum anthora to it."

"What is this anthora plant?" Tier asked, it sounded familiar but she couldn't remember any of its properties.

"A yellow bell-like flower, any part of it is poisonous if consumed by humans." Szayel looked at the ground avoiding everyone's stare. "Father wanted Ulquiorra to transform in front of that blind girl. It is the only way to stop the effects of the plant from killing him."

"Tier, where are you going?" Coyote held onto her, preventing her from moving any further. "There's no point, he has probably already killed her."

"I doubt it. He is a lot more human than he likes to take credit for. _Dios_, father is such an asshole." Tier got out of his grip and moved towards the staircase. "I suggest you stay in here, he is probably keeping tabs."

She ran as fast as her legs would allow to Ulquiorra's bedroom, her restricting dress didn't help. Before entering she was scared because the smell of blood reached her nose but when she entered Tier saw Francisca, _alive_, on the bed. The girl was covered in blood that didn't look like her own and as soon as Tier saw Ulquiorra coughing, she got a good idea of how it got on her.

"_Hermano_, you have to transform." Tier noticed how Francisca stiffened at the sound of her voice. "It's okay, I'm here to help. I think it will be best if you go outside for a bit."

The blind girl visibly relaxed and nodded standing to leave. "Please help him." She spoke softly, right before exiting.

Tier noticed how Ulquiorra had reached out to the girl as she left but he was able to control himself before he touched her. She decided not to say anything. Saving him was the first priority on her mind at that moment. He appeared to be a few steps in front of her because as soon as Francisca left, the ripping of his clothes was heard as he transformed into his monster form.

"How are you feeling?"

"Still unwell, but I will get better. _G__racias_."

* * *

Inside the dining room Sōsuke continued to drink his tea, waiting for his brothers to finally join him. Beside him was Reyna, her head was resting against the table and her eyes were closed. To anyone who might've been looking, she would appear to be sleeping but in reality, she was just too still and not breathing. Killing her had been an easy task for Sōsuke, she was only human. All he had to do was dip her glass in the solution Szayel had made the day before. It was a poison. Normally he would've just poisoned the wine but because Francisca was also here, he didn't want to risk killing her, he would leave that job to someone else. Gin and Kaname came into the room and took their respective places next to him.

The silver haired man chuckled at the sight of the woman, pushing her over so that he could sit down. Reyna fell to the ground with a thump and Gin decided to give her a few kicks for good measure. "What's going to happen to the poor blind girl? She's got no parents now."

"She will go home thinking her mother is still alive and we aren't going to tell her anything." Sōsuke said. "We will watch her and see what she does when she finally finds out the truth. Or maybe we should just lie to her and she can stay here?"

Sōsuke's gaze wandered to Kaname, who had been silent during the whole exchange. He had a feeling the man felt a little sympathetic for the girl because they shared a similar imperfection. He already knew which option he was going to choose, he had it all planned out. There was one person in his way, he could either ruin it all or be quite beneficial. It made him angry thinking how easily his plans could fail. He had hoped Ulquiorra wouldn't change, but it seemed as if it was inevitable.

"Did Szayel's remedy work?"

"There was a lot of blood in the courtyard on the way over here. My _sobrino_ must've been in a lot of pain." The grin never left Gin's face as he spoke, making him seem insincere.

"Give the kid some credit. He has suffered worse before." Kaname finally gave his input. "He is not going to be happy when he finds out the truth. Do you think it is safe for Szayel to be alone?"

"I wouldn't worry about him until all the other children find out about it." Gin leaned back in his chair. "I can't imagine they will be too happy."

"Kaname, I want you to take Francisca home." Sōsuke paused briefly. "Gin, get rid of the body. I don't care how you do it, just get it done."

Both men nodded. One left without another word, the other picking up the dead mother and placing her around his shoulders. Gin gave his brother one last look before leaving. Sōsuke continued to sit at the head of the table smiling about nothing in particular. His braining was too busy calculating every possible scenario to even realise that behind him, staring in through the window, was a winged monster.

* * *

**A/N: **Translations.

Hermano – brother

Si – yes

Idiota – idiot

Madre – mother

Gracias – thank you

Mujer – woman

Parada – stop

Avanzar – go forward

Joder – f*ck

Dios – god

Sobrino – nephew


	5. Murciélago

**A/N: **Translations are down the bottom, enjoy! x

* * *

Dalikamata's Destitute - 5

Francisca had been pacing outside of Ulquiorra's bedroom, counting her steps since she couldn't see. Worry coursed through her for him, but she was relieved that his sister had come and would be able to help him. _You have to transform_. Those words were a mystery to her, what did they mean? Was it a secret sibling code they had? Or was she telling him to transform in the literal sense? It wasn't possible. It must've been a code, some hidden meaning behind those words. It made her head hurt thinking about it, she leaned again the wall, stopping her movements and taking a break.

The door to his bedroom opened and she looked towards the sound hopefully. "It is just me." The woman's voice made her smile fade. She would've rather heard the voice of Ulquiorra.

"Is he alright?" Francisca was scared to ask, she didn't want to know if the news was not favourable.

"_Si_. He is resting. I think it will be best for you to go home." Tier rested her hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"But _madre_…"

"She has already left." A new voice surprised Francisca. It was male, that much she could tell and also he seemed much older, definitely not one of Ulquiorra's siblings. As if sensing her confusion, he spoke again. "I am Kaname, Lord Aizen told me to escort you home."

She reached out to Tier, who had to steady the girl's hand before it hit her. "Can I say goodbye to him?"

"No," Tier had been shaking her head before realising that neither of the people with her could see the motion. "I will tell him of your farewell when he awakens. Go with my Uncle, he will make sure you get home safely and then rest." It would be bad news if Kaname found out that Ulquiorra wasn't in his room, she had to get the blind girl to leave.

Francisca felt her hand being passed to one with a firmer grip. Although Kaname was also blind, he knew the castle inside-out and had no trouble leading her to the carriage that awaited them. They sat on opposite sides, facing each other and stayed silent for most of the trip back to town.

"I am also blind." Kaname broke the silence, in a way he wanted her to know that he knew what she was experiencing and what she was going through. He too had been blind since birth and he was also an orphan, but she didn't need to know_ that_ similarity just yet.

She was shocked when she heard his words, always thinking that she was the only one like herself out in the world. "Does it get better?"

"I cannot say."

Somehow Francisca knew that he wasn't just brushing off her question, because _he_ couldn't actually give her a suitable answer, she would have to wait and experience it. She thanked him once she arrived home and entered the quiet house. At first she found it weird, normally her mother would be cooking food at this time but there were no smells coming from the kitchen, the peace was deathly.

"_Madre_…" She called out when reaching the closed door to her mother's room. There was no reply so she just left it.

Never having cooked anything for herself, Francisca just ate some fresh fruit in the kitchen, found in the bowl on the counter. She knocked on her mother's bedroom door while calling out to her a final time, but after still nothing, she went to her own bedroom. After getting changed into her sleeping attire, she fingered the necklace, pondering on whether to take it off or not. Deciding against it, she got in her bed and before she was able to fall asleep, she heard the window creak open.

* * *

Ulquiorra had waited until the sun set before making his way towards the town. It took him the rest of the afternoon to stop feeling the effects of the _remedy_his brother had created. It also took him a long time to rein in the anger he had for said brother. He wanted to wring Szayel's thin little neck but knew he would regret it after he did calm down. His cure was to go to the town at night and get his quota done. It would be killing two birds with one stone. A release for his anger _and_ he would be finishing the job for his father, once again early for another week.

Instead of finding easy victims to kill, he was outside _her_ house, looking in through the bedroom window. He watched as she entered the room and found he couldn't bring himself to look away as she changed into a chemise. His eyes narrowed on the necklace, there had to be a reason for why his father gave it to her. A reason for why he killed her mother. Ulquiorra knew that he was partly to blame for her becoming an orphan, but he didn't feel any remorse for killing the man.

Slowly he tried to quietly open the window as she lay on the bed, a small creaking sound gave his position away and Ulquiorra stilled instantly. He saw the girl sit up and stared at the direction of the window for a few seconds before lying back down. Again he opened the window enough so that he would be able to squeeze in. He couldn't remember it being as difficult the last time he had been inside the house in this form.

"Is that you?"

The sound of her voice caught him off guard and when Ulquiorra turned around he saw her sitting up on her bed again. Francisca was about to get off but he quickly went over to her, stopping the removal of the sheets that she had grasped in her hands.

"_Quedarse_." He found it strange that she listened to him and was relaxing. "Do you know who I am?"

"I know _what_ you are, you're a _monstruo_." She whispered it as if stating what the colour of grass was, although he knew she would never be able to stat that fact. "Are you here to kill me?"

"Stop asking me that." Before Ulquiorra knew what he was doing, one hand of clawed fingers ran through her hair from the roots to the very end of the stands. He then lifted her chin so that if she were able to see, she would be looking him straight in the eyes. "I will kill you when I feel like it."

She reached out to him and he didn't move as the tips of her fingers met the blood-like substance that trailed from the hole between his pectoral muscles. Her other hand made its way towards him with no guidance and if Ulquiorra hadn't grabbed onto her wrist, Francisca would've poked him in the eye. She tried to encircle his wrist with her hand but her fingers weren't long enough, so she stroked the fur covered arm instead. By now, the sheets covering her were forgotten and she was on her knees while he sat on the side of her bed. His tail whipped around her waist, it was gentle enough so that she wouldn't be shocked by the movement.

"Why are you here?" She asked as one of her hands went to his tail, it was smooth and not furry like all his other limbs.

"I don't know." Ulquiorra closed his eyes, trying to view the world as she would, but it didn't last long because he wanted to be able to look at her.

Nothing else was said between them for a while. There was a silent understanding, which only they knew the meaning of. Slowly, Francisca grew more confident and bolder around him. She wanted to touch his ears and wings again but was unsure about how he would react. The way she had giggled at him last time was still fresh in her mind and she knew in a way, she had hurt his feelings. If he even had such emotions, she did not know.

"What's your name?" She whispered the question and it was her wish to distract him, but she wasn't sure whether it would work.

Ulquiorra said nothing as he felt her hands creep upwards. He had a sneaky suspicion of where they were headed and didn't do anything to stop them. His wings moved to encircle Francisca, bringing her closer to him. She initially squealed because she had been unprepared for the action. At the beginning it became uncomfortable for both of them, so she moved to get onto his lap. The wings that still had her encased, kept her warm from the cool breeze that drifted in through the open window.

His eyes continued to look over her, memorising every detail from the way her smooth skin creased ever so slightly as she smiled, trying to hold in her laughter at the way his ear involuntarily twitched with her caresses. To how the little light there was made her red hair glossy. Ulquiorra didn't scowl when she couldn't contain the giggling anymore and the air filled with the light sound of her voice. Instead his eyes travelled downwards to the swell of her breasts. Images flashed before his eyes, of when he watched her from outside the window. He closed them but the pictures still stayed.

A growl escaped Ulquiorra and Francisca leaned away from him, into his wings. She thought that she had done something to anger him. Only one thought went through his mind and it was what caused him to make the noise. _I will not be like Nnoitra_. He was careful not to cut into the chemise as his clawed hands held onto her hips and pull her towards him again. He shivered under her touch as she traced his hole with a single finger.

"Don't you want me to know?" Francisca asked timidly, cautious with his earlier outburst, she didn't know that she hadn't been to blame for it.

_No I don't_. "My name isn't important."

"I will call you _Murciélago_ then." Her head was tilted to the side and she whispered the name repeatedly under her breath. "_Si_, I think it suits you."

She couldn't see, so he had no idea how she thought the name suited him. Of course, this was the second time she had been feeling him, so it would've been easy for her to guess. The name Francisca called him felt familiar, but he didn't comment on any like or distaste for it. It seemed as if she would still call him it, if he wasn't going to tell her his real name. Ulquiorra didn't want her to know. He liked the way he could act somewhat differently in this form, more _intimate_, without having to worry about what others would think. His eyes came to the necklace and his claws also touched it.

"What is this?" He wanted to know what her reply would be, what _he_ was to her.

Francisca touched it through his fingers, waiting a few seconds before speaking. "It is an opal. Apparently-"

"Who gave it to you?" He interrupted her, not needing to hear his own words repeated back to him.

"Ulquiorra." She turned her head away from him and it looked like she was smiling. "He is one of Lord Aizen's sons. I don't think he likes me very much."

"What makes you think that?" Ulquiorra couldn't stop himself from asking, he was internally berating himself at the question. How much obvious could he get before she realised _who_ he really was?

"Apart from one time, everything he has done so far was because of an order given to him by his father." Francisca laughed and went to take off the necklace, dropping it to the floor. "For all I know, it was _Lord Aizen_ to give me that thing." She didn't know how true her words were.

"You should _dormir_, it is late." It was more of an order than a suggestion.

Francisca opened her mouth to argue, something about being old enough to choose when she would go to bed. His tail tightened around her and he moved around so that she was lying on her back. She took this as a sign to keep her mouth shut, but when he went to move away she held onto him. Without her needing to say anything, he knew she wanted him to stay. _Are they all so needy?_ Ulquiorra didn't move away any more and found himself lying down beside her.

His eyes stayed on her form as her breathing slowed down. She had gotten closer to him as she started shivering, because he had forgotten about the sheets still underneath her. He placed a wing around her and if he had a heart, he was sure it would've skipped a beat at the way she smiled at his actions. His plan was to wait until she was asleep and leave. He might be able to start on his quota before the sun was to rise again.

"Good night, _Murciélago_."

Francisca next awoke as the sun came through her closed window. She started feeling the side of the bed and wasn't surprised to feel nothing there. It was cold, whether that was because of his natural body temperature or the fact that he left a long time ago, she had no idea. Remembering about the necklace she had left on the ground, she searched for it, getting onto her hands and knees, but it wasn't anywhere. Sight would be useful for a time like this, she had another reason to curse her blindness. Her hand unconsciously felt her neck and there was something hard there, connected to a chain. _Murciélago?_

* * *

"Grimmjow I need to…" Ulquiorra trailed off as he entered his brother's room at the wrong time _again_.

"_Che_, what is up with you interrupting me when I'm _busy_?" Just like the other time, Grimmjow didn't stop because of the interruption.

Ulquiorra turned his back on him, but he couldn't block out the sounds that were emitted behind him. "I need to talk to you." He continued. "It is about_Francisca_."

"Kaname was… talking about her… last night." Nelliel mentioned between moans. "I think he-"

"_Joder_, don't talk about him right now." Grimmjow groaned, but it was too late. Images of his Uncle already came to him and it was enough to put _anyone_ off.

"I am only trying to help Ulquiorra." Nelliel said, laughing as the guy on top of her fell to the side. "Kaname feels sorry for her. They have lots in common apparently."

"If he feels that way, then he can have her." Grimmjow stated bitterly while putting his pants back on. "I can have you and everyone wins."

"No. The _mujer_ is mine."

Grimmjow did a double take, not exactly trusting the words he heard his brother speak. "When did you have a change of heart?"

"I don't have a heart." Ulquiorra scoffed.

"I want to meet her!" Nelliel clapped her hands together and jumped, not realising her state of undress.

After Nelliel got changed, they made their way out of the castle and to the carriages. It was early morning, the sun just rising above the horizon and they took the long journey to the town. Ulquiorra decided it would be a bad idea to ask for Grimmjow's opinion concerning the conflict he was feeling on the inside, all to do with the red headed woman. His brother only thought about one thing and it wasn't something he wanted advice on.

The sun was almost halfway in the sky as they made it to Francisca's house. They stood in front of it for a few minutes before Ulquiorra decided he better knock. The door swung open after a few taps and the girl rushed out into his chest. She was hysterical, tears running down her face and she was mumbling incoherently. He noticed her hands dampened his shirt and must've been covered in some sort of liquid, but he couldn't tell what because she had her arms around his waist.

Standing there awkwardly, he didn't know what to do. Ulquiorra looked over at Grimmjow who was trying to show him what to do, with Nelliel acting as Francisca. Hesitantly, he copied his brother's actions by placing one arm around her shoulders and another stroking her hair. This seemed to create an opposite effect because she only cried louder and his shirt became wetter with her tears.

"What is wrong, _mujer_?"

"_Madre_, she… she is dead." Francisca brought her hands from around him and he saw that they were stained with red. "I went to check on her this morning. There had been no answer, so I went in…" She didn't need to say anymore for him to know the rest.

Grimmjow ran into the house, obviously to see for himself. "_Mierda_!"

Ulquiorra introduced Francisca to Nelliel and entered the house, telling the aqua haired woman to stay outside until everything was fixed. There was nothing they could do to fix the mother, but they could at least remove the body. The last time he had seen her mother, she had been no external wounds. Now, her wrists and throat had been slashed. He knew that Gin had been in charge of the body and must've put the body here last night. The night he had stayed.

Fear was an emotion he rarely felt, but if his Uncle told his father anything about what he probably witnessed, Ulquiorra would be in trouble, the kind of trouble where no one survived. A look of disgust was on Grimmjow's features as he stared at the dead woman in front of him. They would have to wait until night before doing anything. It would look suspicious if they were carrying a dead body to the river during the day.

"Who do you think did this?" Grimmjow asked, closing the door as they left the room.

"Father killed her." His brother looked at him as if he was crazy to accuse their paternal figure of such a thing. "I didn't see it happen and he didn't confess, but I did see her dead in the dining room."

"I don't think I will be able to eat in there again."

"The cuts were done when Uncle Gin brought her back here." Ulquiorra was silent as he thought everything over. "Probably to make it look like suicide at the loss of her husband."

"There was a knife in her hand. Do you think father killed the husband as well?" Grimmjow looked outside but the women were nowhere to be seen. He assumed Nelliel took Francisca to the river, so she could get clean.

Ulquiorra shook his head at his brother. "No, I killed him."

"_Dios_, does Francisca know that?"

"No." He shook his head again. _I don't think she would care though_.

Memories returned to him of the night before and also the night he had killed her father. He remembered how she hadn't been crying. If she was mad at him, or even scared, Francisca wouldn't have acted the way she did. If he had been in his other form, he was sure his ears would've twitched just thinking about her fingers caressing them. The women returned and they sat on a couple of chairs in the lounge area. Nelliel glared at the two men wanting to know answers. Grimmjow gestured for her to follow him and Ulquiorra took her place on the chair.

"What is going to happen to me?" She whispered, the tears were threatening to fall but she wanted to be strong. "I can't live by myself. I don't have the money and I am useless blind."

"Tonight we will stay with you."

"No." Francisca said it too fast and it made him wonder why. "You can't stay here." _If you do, I won't get a visitor._

Ulquiorra reached over and grabbed one of her hands. "We are staying. You don't get a say in the matter _mujer_."

She bowed her head, surrendering. Using her other hand, she tightened her hold his one to make sure he didn't pull away. It made her happy that he had initiated the hand holding. As soon as the other two came back into the room, both of their eyes focused on the joined hands between Ulquiorra and Francisca. The dark haired male glared at his brother as if daring him to make a snide remark. He also didn't trust the way Nelliel would whisper into Grimmjow's ear every few minutes that went past.

It was nearing to the end of the day, the sun slowly dipping below the horizon, and Francisca went into her bedroom to get changed. He was about to follow her in but Nelliel glared at him to stay put. Ulquiorra was about to mention that it wasn't as if he hadn't seen her change before but somehow knew that wouldn't have gone down too well with anyone apart from maybe his brother.

They had been waiting for a long time and the girl was yet to leave the bedroom. Nelliel decided to approach the door and knock a few time but got no reply. This got all of their attention and they burst into the room together to find it empty. The window was open and there was a piece of paper on the ground near it. Grimmjow picked it up reading the note quickly before handing it to Ulquiorra to read.

_Hermano, it seems you cannot protect her,  
even when by her side.  
Nnoitra_

He screwed up the piece of paper, throwing it at the wall and went to the window. No one was outside and wherever his brother went, he had left no clues. Nelliel picked up the note and gasped after reading it to herself. Francisca was gone and they had no idea where to look for her. All Ulquiorra knew was that as soon as he next saw his younger brother, he would be breaking the second rule, and he wasn't going to regret it.

* * *

**A/N: **Translations.

Si – yes

Madre – mother

Quedarse – stay

Monstruo – monster

Murciélago – commonly known as the name of Ulquiorra's zanpakutou but also means bat (the flying kind)

Dormir – sleep

Che – 'hey' or some way of greeting

Joder – f*ck

Mujer – woman

Mierda – sh*t

Dios – god

Hermano – brother


	6. Versing Santa Teresa

**A/N: **Translations are at the bottom, enjoy! x

* * *

Dalikamata's Destitute - 6

Francisca was getting changed into another chemise. Leaving the dagger she always wore by her thigh on the dresser. She tried to be as quick as possible, not wanting to leave the three in the other room alone for too long. Her thoughts went to her dead mother, which she knew was in the room beside her. _Madre, did you suffer?_ From what she had felt, Francisca would've answered a yes. _Was it because of what happened to father?_

She heard the window to her room being opened and thinking it was Murciélago, she turned around to smile in his direction. Francisca knew he had been the one to kill her father, but she couldn't blame him. It became clear very soon that it wasn't _her_ monster that had stepped into the room. A gag had been placed over her mouth to stop her from screaming. She struggled against his grip and tried to make as much noise as she could. Whoever had come in was taking her out of the room and didn't want her disappearance to be noticed. The last thing she remembered was being hit across the head.

Nnoitra found the girl's struggling to be annoying, especially because he didn't have long until the other three realised she was missing. He left a note just before he gagged her, so when they went to check on her, they will know it was him. He was sure Ulquiorra would have assumed it anyway. The way back to the castle was taking too long and he was getting impatient. He didn't know what was so special about the girl for his brother to want and protect her. Nnoitra wanted to kill her but knew it would be against his father's orders to do that. He also figured what he had just done, would be against _Lord Aizen_'s orders too.

There was no one on the castle grounds when he returned and Nnoitra quickly made his way to the basement. It was a place he was sure Ulquiorra would first check and he counted on it. He didn't want his father to find out of what happened. The sooner this was over the better. There was a lone chair in the far room and he threw the girl on it, being sure to tie her securely to prevent any sort of escape when she awoke. Tesra, his personal servant, came to keep watch over her. There was only a lot of waiting to happen now and he knew his patience would be tested fully.

"Master, did you touch her at all?" Tesra asked, staring at the redhead.

Nnoitra scoffed. "Don't ask stupid questions, I had to _touch _her to bring her here." He shook his head to answer the question properly. "I only want to fight Ulquiorra, not have him kill me."

* * *

"I am going to _matar _him!" Ulquiorra shouted, successfully punching a hole in the wall beside the window, he lost his cool and he didn't like it one bit.

Nelliel had left the room to sort out Reyna's body, while Grimmjow had the job of trying to calm his brother down. Nothing was working and he was finding it hopeless. He just hoped that Nelliel would come back soon so they could go back to the castle and find out where Francisca was being held.

"You can't. That would be breaking the second rule. Father would have you killed if he found out." Grimmjow started pacing, becoming more agitated as time went by.

"I have already broken first rule. My life should already be over."

"Let's just find your _mujer_, give Nnoitra a small beating and then bring her back here before the sun comes back up." His brother tried to reason with him, but it went on deaf ears.

It had gotten considerably darker outside when Nelliel got back. On the way to the carriage, Ulquiorra pulled both of them in-between two house and transformed. He jumped into the air and started flying towards the castle. Not looking back at the other two who stared at him confused.

"Does he not realise we can't fly?" Nelliel asked Grimmjow.

"Who cares?"

He started his own transformation, while Nelliel did hers. If they both ran at full speed to the castle, all of them would reach it at the same time. Unlike in the air, travelling on the ground was much more difficult. There were houses in their way and only when they reached the single path that made its way up the hill to the castle, could they use the greenery around it for coverage. Ulquiorra was waiting for them at the entrance, back in his human form, so Grimmjow and Nelliel also resumed their natural forms.

"_Hermano_, did we have to come here so quickly? I doubt Nnoitra is going to _do_ anything to her." The blue haired man tried to get his breathing to normal as fast as he could.

"_Si_." Ulquiorra entered the castle making his way to the basement. He knew his brother wasn't stupid enough to take Francisca to his bedroom. Or he hoped Nnoitra wasn't that stupid. "We know what he is capable of, I wouldn't put it past him, and he has tried before."

They followed him silently, not questioning his actions anymore. The basement was dark because none of the torches had been lit, but they were able to see through the darkness just fine. As they all made their way down the hallway, Ulquiorra decided to slow down, all he could think about was the last time he had been here in his dream. He also didn't want Nnoitra knowing they were already here and had to make sure no traps had been set. All he needed to do was imagine the way his arm would feel once going through his brother's sternum and it kept him going forward. At least one person wasn't going to be leaving this place tonight.

"I see you made it." Nnoitra shouted, as his two siblings and Nelliel entered the room.

Their eyes looked around the surroundings and saw Francisca tied to a chair in the corner. Tesra was right next to her and appeared to be stroking her hair in attempts to quieten down her shaking. Ulquiorra felt the anger boil up inside of him at the sight. She was barely wearing any clothes and no one should be touching her. She was _his_. He looked at the two with him, silently telling them what they needed to do.

"Why did you kidnap her _hermano_?" Ulquiorra asked as Grimmjow and Nelliel made their way to Francisca and the servant.

"I just wanted a fight with you." Nnoitra titled his head to the side and smiled a toothy grin. "I remember the last time I saw her, you interrupted something. You owe me this fight."

He was about to reply when he heard Francisca call out his name. "Ulquiorra, is that you? Where am I? What's happening?"

Ulquiorra refused to look her way again, knowing that all his resolve to kill Nnoitra will disappear and be replaced with just wanting to rescue her. So he didn't answer her questions and stayed silent. He trusted Grimmjow and Nelliel to do their job, now he needed to do his. Walking towards the brother who kidnapped Francisca, he readied himself for the fight that was about to happen. There was no way both of them will leave this room alive. One of them will be dying.

"What do you think you are doing?" Nnoitra asked, he altered into his other form and went over to the wall, grabbing a few of the weapons placed against it for show. "You need to _transform_."

* * *

No matter how much she willed it, she could not see. Her head was pounding from being hit but after hearing Ulquiorra's voice, she calmed down. Francisca knew she was going to be safe now. She heard more footsteps getting closer to her and that caused her to tense up again. It didn't help that Tesra was petting her hair as if she were some animal. She felt like growling at him but knew that wouldn't improve anything.

"Y-you have to stay away from her. Master doesn't w-want her to leave the basement." Tesra stuttered out as the two approached him and clenched onto some of Francisca's hair more tightly. She winced slightly. "I won't l-let go of her."

"You will move if I tell you, now _move_." Grimmjow pushed him back, not realising Tesra's hand was on the blind girl's hair, and she was pulled back with the servant.

"_Mierda_!" She yelled out. Half at Grimmjow's unawareness and half at Tesra for still having her hair gripped. This surprised everyone, who all stopped what they were doing to stare at her. "Let go of me!" Francisca wished she hadn't removed her dagger when changing into her chemise because she felt like stabbing Tesra. She felt like stabbing the one that had kidnapped her as well.

Nelliel giggled and went over the Francisca to help her up. "Be quiet. Ulquiorra and Nnoitra are about to fight."

Grimmjow also went to the girl's side after getting out of his stupor due to her outburst. "_Si_, you don't want to be here for that."

"Get her out already!" Ulquiorra shouted at the two, he didn't want her to be here when he did transform. She didn't need to know that it was him who killed her father or that he is the one to visit her at night. _Francisca mustn't make the connection_.

"_Esperar_!" Francisca pulled away from them and into the direction of where she heard Ulquiorra. "I want to stay."

"No." Nelliel went in front of her to stop the girl's movements. "He will be okay, we need to leave _now_."

As she left, she could hear Ulquiorra and Nnoitra conversing, something about transforming. _Transform… is this… what his sister was talking about?_ Francisca didn't know, but even though she wanted to stay and witness what was about to take place, she let Nelliel and Grimmjow take her away from the basement.

* * *

Ulquiorra stared at his brother waiting for Grimmjow and Nelliel to take Francisca out of the basement. Nnoitra gained an extra pair of arms and two horns protruded from each side of his head. One was longer than the other, making it look like a crescent moon. _Damn_. When he had been flying back to the castle, he saw that the moon outside was in a crescent shape. This meant his brother would be at his peak when fighting, there was going to be no holding back.

In all of his hands there was one weapon; a sword, an axe, a scythe and a mace. Each was useful for a different type of fighting style, but used together, Ulquiorra had no idea what to expect. _Hurry up_. Behind him, Francisca and the other two were taking a long time to leave. He knew that Nnoitra would prefer him fighting after transforming, but he didn't want to take chances. The sooner she left, the sooner he could start fighting.

Their footsteps faded and he heard the exit open and close again. _Finally_. Ulquiorra wasted no time changing into his monster form. He was now the same height as Nnoitra, who was surprised at the way he now looked. No one apart from Tier, Nelliel and Grimmjow had seen him in this form and for two of them it happened less than an hour ago. Not even Francisca had _seen_ him like this and she is the only one that mattered.

"You look so different." Nnoitra mused aloud, the torches from inside the room lit up his face, revealing a hole where his left eye should be. "You won't win, have you seen the moon tonight?"

Ulquiorra ignored his words. He saw a few spare weapons on the wall but didn't move to get any of them. He could win this without any aid. His eyes flickered to where Tesra was still on the ground, cowering in the corner. It was as if he wanted to leave them alone but didn't want to disobey Nnoitra. He was surprised with his brother's choice of a personal servant, Ulquiorra had been expecting a female, but then Nnoitra never cared for the gender that wasn't like his own.

"I thought the moon would only count if you were exposed to it?" Ulquiorra said, inwardly smiling with triumph when Nnoitra scowled at him.

"You think you know everything… well I'll show you that I am still stronger!"

Nnoitra rushed towards Ulquiorra, he was swinging every weapon he held so fast that they were almost invisible. Ulquiorra did his best to move out of the way from them, but he wasn't fast enough. He dodged just before the scythe was about to slice his head off. The mace ended up whacking into his chest, sending him backwards. They were in an enclosed space which meant his wings didn't have the room to be spread out. It would've been a lot of help if he could use them right now.

On his back, Ulquiorra tried to get up before his brother made his way over. Nnoitra looked menacing as he stalked up to the fallen monster. He slammed his foot on Ulquiorra's chest, making the sibling stay down and also taking away the rest of his breath. Everything went in slow motion as Nnoitra held up the axe and threw it down. The blade cut right through Ulquiorra's arm and he let out a howl in pain. He looked over at the stub which was now his arm and glared up at his brother.

* * *

Francisca heard the yell and it sent shivers down her spine. They had just made it to the staircase and the noise reverberated through the entire castle. There would be no one inside the building who didn't hear it. Nelliel and Grimmjow gave each other a grim look, each slightly tightening their hold on the blind girl without it being noticeable. That didn't stop her from struggling and trying to get out of their grip. She ended up kicking the male in the shin, causing him to cry out in the sudden shock of pain.

"_Perra_!" He yelled out and was about to slap her but Nelliel got beside Francisca just in time to hold his arm.

"That was Murciélago! He's in pain! We have to go back and help him! What is he doing here?" Francisca said everything while in hysterics. Nothing made sense to her anymore and was just getting crazy. What happened to Ulquiorra? What was his part in all of this? "There has to be _something_ we can do!"

"No." Grimmjow lifted her from the waist and placed her on his shoulder before walking up the stairs. "I think it will be best if you stayed away from the basement, he doesn't need any distractions."

She hoped there wasn't anyone around to see the way she childishly started pounding his back, yelling at him to let her go. Grimmjow just gave her bottom a pat and told her to calm down. He kept saying that all of this was for her own good. They went to Ulquiorra's room and Nelliel stayed with Francisca as he left the room. She calmed down when inside the room and made her way to the bed. There had only been one yell and she didn't hear anything else. _Is he dead?_

"What is going on here?" Francisca felt like crying but couldn't bring her eyes to shed any tears. "Where is he going? What is _he_ doing?"

"_Grimmjow_ is getting some of his siblings." Nelliel knew Francisca only wanted to know about Ulquiorra and now knew the girl didn't know the monster and the human were the same. She didn't want to give the girl false hope because _she_ didn't know whether the older brother would win the fight in the basement. "It's not for me to tell you anything. Something big is about to happen and all because of you."

Francisca grabbed to covers of his bed and got in. "What do you mean?"

Nelliel stayed silent for a while before replying. "You'll find out soon enough."

Grimmjow had gone to three bedrooms to collect four people and they all went back to Ulquiorra's room. Francisca fell asleep in his bed, with it being such a late hour she had become tired. She was worried about Ulquiorra and also Murciélago. Everyone in the room just stared silently at each other, all waiting for the outcome that was about to happen in the basement. All hoping that the oldest brother of the two will be the one who is victorious.

* * *

"It is a good thing I can regenerate it back." Ulquiorra said, the pain in his arm was still excruciating and the way it was about to grow back would be just as painful.

Nnoitra looked down in shock at his brother's words. "What are you talking about?"

"If you wait, you will see for yourself."

Ulquiorra's tail wrapped around Nnoitra's torso and threw him across the room. He groaned when hitting the wall and slid down to the ground, his eyes still on the reforming limb. The weapons Nnoitra held scattered when he was thrown, his hands had let them go. Slowly he got up from the ground and walked towards Ulquiorra who was also getting up. Using all of his hands, Nnoitra wrapped them around the other's throat, attempting to suffocate him. He wanted to feel the way his brother died, since cutting at limbs wasn't going to work. It made him wonder whether Ulquiorra would've been able to regenerate his head back if that was chopped off.

Nnoitra's actions were stupid in Ulquiorra's mind, he was close enough to get killed, did he not realise that? He could feel his breath become restricted as the airway closed bit by bit, he had to do something quickly or else there was a good chance he would end up being the dead one. With one hand, Ulquiorra placed it around Nnoitra's throat but not in a curbing manner. The other hand went straight through the sternum, feeling no resistance. His brother's eyes widened suddenly, once feeling what happened.

"_Joder_!" The grip loosened and Ulquiorra was able to breath freely again. "_Hermano_, father is surely going to kill you for this. I will see you in _Infierno_."

"Master!" Tesra yelled, finally able to move from his fear-stricken state and up to the dead Nnoitra, who was dropped on the ground. "You _matado_ him!" The servant looked at Ulquiorra who was back in his human form. "Wait until I tell Lord Aizen about this!"

Upon hearing those words, Ulquiorra rushed over to Tesra and pushed him up against the wall. "I can make sure he doesn't find out by killing you."

They both glared at each other before the servant submitted and hung his head. "I won't say anything." He whispered. "Just let me tend to my master."

"Make sure you do keep quiet, I will know where to find you if you don't keep to your words." Ulquiorra left the basement, making his way to his own bedroom, hoping that Nelliel and Grimmjow had taken _her_ there.

It was Francisca's fault all of this was happening. He had just killed one of his siblings because of her, breaking not one but _two_ rules. As he thought more about it, he couldn't bring himself to put anymore blame onto the woman. _His_ woman. Ulquiorra made his way along the hallway and just as he was about to open the door to his bedroom, he was pulled into another bedroom, Nnoitra's bedroom. Surprised at who would be in there when the owner was dead, he looked around and saw that his silver haired Uncle was grinning down at him.

"_Sobrino_, what you did downstairs was _very_ naughty." Gin said, his smile didn't falter one bit. "If your father were to find out, I don't think he would be very pleased."

"Are you going to tell him?" Ulquiorra asked. He was scared and hoped it wasn't showing in his gaze, this Uncle of his was unpredictable.

The older man ignored the question. "You should worry about your blind girl because your father has plans for her."

"What plans?" He was confused, was his Uncle trying to help him or not. "What does he want with Francisca?"

"You need to get out of here, away from the castle and out of this Country."

"I don't understand…" As Ulquiorra spoke, he felt himself getting pushed out of the room.

"I cannot hold off your father for long." Gin whispered. "Just get out, before he destroys us all."

He stood there by himself for a long time. His Uncle's words repeating over and over again in his mind. _What does he mean?_ Ulquiorra wouldn't be surprised if his father had some evil intent for Francisca. She was now an orphan because of him and _he_ helped out with half of it. He didn't realise the significance of killing her father back then, but he couldn't control whatever had taken over him to make the kill. Anger? Enmity? Maybe even back near the beginning, he felt the need to protect her. She could hardly do that herself.

_Just get out_. The words finally had meaning to them and Ulquiorra quickly opened his bedroom door. He came to a halt when he saw the people inside. There was Coyote and his daughter, Tier, Yammy, as well as Grimmjow and Nelliel. The last person his eyes fell on was the female in his bed, sleeping. _Your father has plans for her_. His fists clenched and he unintentionally glared at all the occupants in the room.

"What are you doing in here?"

Coyote stepped forward, getting in front of everyone else. "So I heard we are escaping. Now how are we going to do that _and_ survive?"

* * *

**A/N: **Translations

Madre – mother

Murciélago – commonly known as the name of Ulquiorra's zanpakutou but also Spanish for bat

Matar – kill/murder

Mujer – woman

Hermano – brother

Si – yes

Mierda – sh*t

Esperar – wait

Perra – b*tch

Joder – f*ck

Infierno – hell

Matado – killed/murdered

Sobrino – nephew


	7. On the Run

**A/N: **It's here, finally! I've sort of lost motivation to write this story (if it isn't obvious in the writing of this chater), so there will be one or two more chapters. Just so I can end it without it being sudden. Then if I ever get motivation for it again, I'll probably edit/rewrite the story - a fine example for why I should plan my stories fully before starting them. :) Moving on, translations are at the bottom, enjoy! x

* * *

Dalikamata's Destitute - 7

It looked like a tornado had ripped through his bedroom. Clothes were strewn all over the floor, while the wooden wardrobe was on its side with splintered pieces of wood around it. The small columns of the four-poster bed were broken, turning it into a collapsed tent. Sōsuke was the epitome of rage at the moment. His fists were clenched and veins were visible on his neck. He grabbed his most prized vase and threw it to the ground, it shattered and porcelain shards went everywhere.

"Oh my, this just won't do." Gin said as he entered the bedroom with Kaname behind him. "It looks like a tornado wreaked havoc in here. Would you agree with me Kaname?"

"I can't say for sure." The blind man said, not in the mood for the joke.

Sōsuke was pacing around, looking for more objects to destroy in his rampage. He began muttering to himself, formulating a plan. After everything he had done for his children, he did not calculate any of them actually leaving. _He_ was a Lord, nothing happened that he didn't account for, but this did happen and all because of the blind girl. She was an important part of his plan and he figured she would be more useful than he originally thought. _All in due time_.

"Where is Nnoitra?" Sōsuke asked.

His pink haired son entered the room clearing his throat. "_Hermano_ is dead. I found him in the basement."

The Lord hummed to himself as he left the room. Everyone followed him in a line as he made his way down one flight of stairs and into the second door, Baraggan's room. The second eldest son suffered from Progeria, an extremely rare genetic disease making him look much older than he actually was. He would most likely be dead if it wasn't for the monster inside of him, keeping him alive with frequent transformations. Sōsuke sat on his bed and waited for everyone to enter.

"Gin, I want you to take Baraggan and find our missing family members." He spoke in a low voice that was barely audible. It was as if he was trying to control his anger.

"What do you want us to do when we find them?" Baraggan croaked.

"When you find them, I only want you to do two things. One – kill Ulquiorra, he has broken too many rules to be ignored, it is a shame to have to waste such a valuable asset. Two – bring Francisca back alive, if by some _misfortune_ she gets harmed on the way back, it is fine. As long as I have her body, it is all I need." Sōsuke paused to take a few breaths. "Kaname, do you want any action to be taken against Nelliel?"

"I've known of her affair with Grimmjow for a while now, I will deal with her when they come to rescue the blind girl."

"Do you think it is really necessary to bring Baraggan along?" Gin gave an awkward laugh. "I hope you're not implying that I can't get the job done myself."

"I know you are quite capable, but I can't afford any more mistakes. I want you both out of here by sunset." The way Sōsuke said it made no room for any arguments and everyone agreed before leaving. "Don't come back until both jobs are done."

Gin stood still at the door to turn back and stare at his brother through his slit eyes. "It will be done."

* * *

Ulquiorra held Francisca close to him as she slept. Their party were all cramped into one carriage apart from Coyote, who was sitting in the front. The bumps of the rubble road made it difficult to get comfortable. It seemed as if the blind human was the only one able to sleep through the hardships, it probably helped that she didn't know what was taking place as well. Nelliel's gaze at him was halfway between anger and sympathy. He didn't know why and was scared to wake up the female in his arms if he was to speak.

"Murciélago." Francisca murmured, her hand clutching his tunic tightened. She still had her eyes closed so Ulquiorra assumed she was sleeping.

Hearing the name of what she called him when he transformed, did something to him. It gave him some sort of hope that he wouldn't need to hide a part of himself from her. That she could possibly accept him as he is. His main concern would be how she was going to react when she finally found out. He was aware of the glare Nelliel was sending his way. Possessively, he held Francisca closer to him. He was afraid that if he were to let go, she would disappear and somehow be in his father's clutches.

"She doesn't know that there is no difference, does she?" Nelliel harshly whispered. "When are you going to let her know that you are both?"

"I don't know." He said it more to himself than her. It was a debate that had been going on inside him for more than a few days.

"You have to tell her soon."

"Yeah." Grimmjow agreed loud enough to make Francisca stir.

"_Callar, hermano_. I will tell her when we are safe." Ulquiorra glared at the blue haired guy across from him. "Has anyone thought about what would happen if father found us?"

Inside the carriage everyone shrugged, careful not to make any eye contact with anyone else. It was a topic they chose to ignore since leaving the castle. They passed by fields and fields of grass, some filled with vines others with animals. No one wanted to answer him, because the truth was that they all knew what would happen if their father were to find them. They would be sentenced to death. None of them wanted it, but they had left anyway, in hopes that they wouldn't be found or that he would forget about them.

"We don't let it come to that." Tier said. "If not for _her_ sake, then for our own."

"I agree." Coyote said from the front of the carriage. "We will stay on the move, only stopping when absolutely necessary. As soon as we get passed the border, we will at least be a bit safer."

* * *

"Do you think Gin and Baraggan will bring them back?" Kaname asked Sōsuke as they ate lunch in the dining room.

"They don't know how to live outside these walls, even if it takes a month to find them, they will all come back eventually." He began to laugh. "Well apart from Ulquiorra, I have faith in Gin that he will get the job done. Baraggan is only with him in case they have any tricks."

There was a knock on the large doors and Szayel entered holding a medium sized vial in both his hands. It was filled with a clear liquid. "This is almost finished. All that is needed is the last ingredient."

Sōsuke took the vial and held it up so he could see through it clearly. The self-righteous smile he wore grew wide enough to show his perfect teeth. Szayel was extremely happy that he was able to create something – almost – no other alchemists had been capable of doing. He was waiting to be praised, but none came. Kaname had his head tilted to the side, trying to figure out what had his brother's attention. If it involved Szayel, there were so many possibilities. If it was one of his potions, he knew no good would come out of it.

"Waiting is what we will be doing now, waiting for Gin and Baraggan." Sōsuke stated, speaking to no one in particular. He just really liked to hear his own voice. "I suppose you're wondering what all the fuss is about _hermano_?"

Kaname turned to face Sōsuke. "You will tell me whether I want to know or not." It was always a good idea to keep his opinions to himself around his brother. The blind man just hoped not much destruction was involved.

"How about you explain it to him Szayel?"

"With pleasure." Szayel gave a small bow before getting into an intricate speech about the vial in his father's hands.

The see-through liquid inside the vial right at this moment was useless. It would taste as plain as water if someone were to drink it. There was one special ingredient that would change the tasteless substance, into something more worthy of appraisal. It will be an elixir, to make the one who drank it all, immortal. The _secret medicaments_ Sōsuke was using to keep him looking young were temporary remedies made by Szayel. The Lord needed something permanent, his life depended on it.

Many solutions have been tried in the past, but nothing worked. That was until Francisca showed up. Sōsuke needed blood, not just any blood, the blood of a virgin immortal. He believed that she was the reincarnation of a virgin goddess, _Alunsina_. The girl would need to be sacrificed first, to see if his suspicions of her are real. If he was wrong, that would make two deaths, not that it bothered him. He had been getting his children to kill for years. Sōsuke will do _anything_ to live forever.

* * *

Yammy sat next to Francisca, who noticed the change around her and turned in his direction. They were having lunch, but she decided to sit away from the others, not used to being around so many people for long periods at a time. The food was disgusting, but she didn't complain, anything to keep the thought of her mother's cooking out of her mind. The youngest brother stayed silent for a while, she didn't know whether it was because he had nothing to say or didn't know how to put his words.

"My _hermano_ likes you a lot." Yammy stated.

Francisca tried to smile endearingly at him. "Oh, I'm not too sure about that."

She would admit that Ulquiorra's personality, if you could say he had one, around her had improved. He didn't make it appear as if it was a bother to be around her. He did little things to make sure her time with them running away was better. Getting her food for her and making sure she had the more comfortable blankets when sleeping. Maybe he just felt as if he was in charge of her and these were his duties.

"No, I know I'm right." He took a big slurp of his soup. "I follow him around a lot and I pick up these little signs. He _does_ like you."

"Yammy, leave Ulquiorra's _mujer_ alone." Coyote came up to them when he saw what was going on. "Don't you think she's a bit old for you? What would your _hermano_ say?"

"What? I'm not doing anything wrong!" Yammy started to whine. "I was just being friendly."

* * *

Nelliel and Tier pulled Francisca away from the group, apparently they were going to have a 'girl's night'. Both women had different ideas in mind. The blonde noticed how the redhead didn't like being around many people, so she wanted to give the girl a break without her being completely alone. The aqua haired woman had other plans in mind because she wanted to let the girl know the truth about Ulquiorra. Feeling as if he should've come out with it already

They decided to have one of the tents to themselves, there were only two and Lilynette was sleeping in the other one. Francisca started asking questions about their life in the castle, which caused Nelliel to explain how she didn't live there and was only visiting. They in turn asked questions about her life before moving to the town below the castle. It brought back unpleasant memories of her father and how the other townspeople weren't so forgiving of her disability. There had only been two people to accept her, her mother and a boy who lived next door.

"I was considered a freak, something that should not live."

"We're all freaks here and some people would call us _monstruos_." Nelliel started. "Ulquiorra for instance-"

Someone opened the tent from the outside, interrupting the woman before she could continue on. "Lilynette just woke up and is asking for you Nel."

"But I'm just-"

"I know what you were doing and I'm telling you to stop." The way Coyote spoke with finality stopped Nelliel from arguing with him.

Francisca wasn't stupid. She knew that something was going on that no one was telling her about. Instead of letting it annoy her, she left it alone. There must be some sort of reason they weren't telling her, possibly protecting her? She would find out about it when they wanted her to, until then she was happy to just enjoy her time with Tier while the woman plaited her hair. Monsters and freaks were never brought up again. They stuck with the nice topics.

* * *

The border was in sight, they just needed to cross it. There were two guards and lots of fence, the only way across was through it. They had stopped to let the horses rest and not to make it look suspicious that they were planning. Had Lord Aizen already gotten word to them? Would they get caught? Francisca had to admit that a bunch of kids, even if three were over twenty, would be enough alone to ring the alarm bells.

"Just act normal." Coyote told everyone as he strapped the horses back to the carriage. "We're all true orphans, even Nelliel. There is nothing strange about us travelling."

Portugal was on the other side. They didn't want to go to France, especially since none of them knew the language. Another Spanish country might be dangerous, but it was also safe because they wouldn't stick out. The carriage moved towards the guards and everyone inside were waiting with baited breath. When they stopped, fingers were crossed as they heard Coyote speaking with one of the guards. Apparently the other guard was checking other travellers.

"I need to check the carriage, just in case you are carrying contraband." The voice of the guard sounded familiar, but Francisca couldn't place a name to it.

Everyone turned towards the door as it opened, revealing a young man with black hair and golden eyes. He looked over those in the carriage individually, his eyes resting on Francisca last. The guard stared at her but the look turned into a glare as he noticed Ulquiorra's arm around her. The arm tightened its grip under the piercing gaze. Everyone else was too frightened to speak. They were scared that if one word was said, then there would be no chance making it over the border.

"Francisca?" The guard finally spoke. "What are you doing with these people? Where is Reyna?"

"Ggio? Is that you?" Francisca asked, removing Ulquiorra's arm from her to get closer to the guard. Tier had to place a hand over Ulquiorra's mouth as he emitted a growl. The blind girl had her hands on the guard's face, they couldn't see her expression but she was smiling. "You haven't grown much. I didn't know you were becoming a border guard."

"After you left for another town, there was nothing left for me." Ggio reach to her and placed a hand on her cheek. It took Grimmjow to help Tier keep Ulquiorra in place. "Where is Reyna?"

"Oh, well…" Francisca whispered everything she knew in his ear. "We're going to Portugal to help with my mourning, can we cross _por __favor_?"

"Of course. Be sure to visit me when you come back."

* * *

The water felt cool against her. She was wearing a newly bought chemise, it was the only piece of clothing she had which wouldn't get wet because it only came down to mid-thigh. The river's surface was up to her knees at the most. Her arms were held out to the sides as she tried to keep her balance and not fall over. The current wasn't strong but going fast enough that she could get swept away with one wrong step.

Hands that weren't her own went to her hips to keep her steady. They belonged to Ulquiorra who came up from behind. She turned around in his arms and brought her hands together and felt the contours of his chest, just to make sure it was him. He had decided to take his shirt off, it was a useless piece of clothing and his cotton pants were rolled up to just above his knees. His pale skin was exposed to the sun and Francisca's feather light touches. Maybe if he spent long enough in the river it would start to resemble the golden brown tan of her skin.

She was glad to finally be able to convince him to wade with her in a river. She had known something changed within him, compared to the last time she had asked, back when he was showing her around the town. Maybe he wasn't so heartless after all? Francisca giggled as she felt brave fish getting close enough to her toes and nibble. None of the fish tried to get close to Ulquiorra. They probably could sense the menacing being within him.

"Do you trust me?" He whispered in her ear.

She didn't hesitate in answering him. "Yes."

Ulquiorra moved away from Francisca and she began regretting her decision. She stood there, alone, for a few minutes and began to wonder where he went. There was no movement in the river that she could sense. Suddenly she was drenched as water from a bucket was thrown on her from behind. Squealing, she turned around but the momentum caused her to lose her footing and she started to fall over. Ulquiorra caught her just in time, but couldn't stop them both submerging under the surface.

He made sure to lift her so that her head was above the water. The last thing Ulquiorra wanted after all the trouble of trying to get her safe was for Francisca to drown. He was sitting on the shingled bottom and she was straddling his lap. Her giggling over what happened was infectious and he found himself giving a half-smile, not that she could see it. He raised a hand out of the water to her cheek and she leaned into it.

"What is it?" She asked, letting her eyes close even though all she ever saw was darkness.

"Just keep still." Ulquiorra whispered.

They were sitting in the water and she started to feel his breath on her as he leaned forward. This last month Francisca had always been near him, whether it was a keep her balance or if she fell asleep in his arms. The intimacy she felt in the air was strong and even with the warm sun beating down on her and the nice cooling water around her, goose bumps erupted all over her skin as if she was freezing cold.

She placed a hand over his heart. The cool water had slowed the beating down a bit but she could feel the way it stopped following a rhythm. He was close to her and Francisca couldn't wait any longer. With her other hand she felt his lips and then used the coordination she still possessed to kiss him. She could taste the fresh water they were in and also feel the way his lips were a tiny bit upturned. Ulquiorra finally gave in to her fully and decided he would tell her the truth when they stopped running.

The kiss deepened and his hand went back to her hip, pressing her tightly against him. This was Francisca's second kiss. The first had been a bold move to determine whether Ulquiorra had been heartless. Her fingers ran through his hair, messing up the wet tresses as she gripped onto it. When she felt his tongue caress her lips, she pulled back, unsure of what it meant. He pulled her back towards him and slowly showed her what he did mean. It shocked him to know that her innocence was dangerously appealing to him.

There was a distinct catcall coming from Grimmjow, and Francisca thought she heard the words. "The carriage is free to be used."

* * *

The two followers finally caught up with the group. A few months had passed since they left the castle, but it would all be over soon. A very helpful guard at the border told them everything after a few lies were sown. What Gin hated, was that he had to stealthily crawl to the edge of the hill in order to see the campsite below. They were all laughing around an unlit campfire beside a river, looking happy when in a few hours their hopes would be shattered. Baraggan was next to him, staring at the scene before him as well.

"We should wait until nightfall, not only would they be sleeping but then I can transform. Hopefully it will be a surprise." Baraggan said as his eyes were flickering to his siblings, ignoring the other two women. "Are we really going to kill him?"

Gin waited a few minutes before answering. "_Si_."

* * *

**A/N: **Translations.

Hermano – brother

Murciélago – commonly known as the name of Ulquiorra's zanpakutou but also Spanish for bat

Callar – shut up

Mujer – woman

Monstruos – monsters

Por favour – please

Si – yes


	8. It is Over

**A/N: **The last chapter is here! This is it. I defintely lost motivation for writing this story in the end but wanted to end the story properly. One day I will probably go back over all of it and do a better job. I hope you like it and there are translations at the bottom. Enjoy! x

* * *

Dalikamata's Destitute - 8

"Do you trust me?" Francisca asked.

It was nearing the end of the day but before the sun dipped below the horizon she and Ulquiorra decided to have a tiny picnic away from the others. Her fingers felt for the material she had asked Tier for and crawled over to his side of the blanket. Reaching out, Francisca was careful not to poke him with her fingernails and brought the material to his face. Feeling around, she found his eyes and moved around so that she was behind him.

"_Si_." Although he said it, Ulquiorra was sure she would continue even without his permission.

"You have to keep this on." Francisca giggled as she placed the material around his head and covered his eyes, effectively blinding Ulquiorra. "You're not allowed to take it off."

He had closed his eyes, so didn't know whether the makeshift blindfold was working. "_Promesa_."

It was dark, he could tell that much. As his hearing increased due to the lack of sight, Ulquiorra listened to the conversation happening by the campfire. The crackling of burning wood could also be heard. He knew he was far away from the flame but could still seem to feel the heat radiating from it. Francisca was blindly searching around for a specific fruit. When finding it, she tore it in half and made her way back to him. She straddled his waist, pulling her long skirt up to be able to widen her legs.

"Open your mouth." Francisca gently ordered him and Ulquiorra compliantly did exactly what she said.

She had to feel around again so that she would be able to pop the piece of fruit in his mouth without missing. The last thing she wanted was to accidently poke his nose with the fruit because she was doubtful he would want to eat it afterwards. Her fingers lingered over his bottom lip and he nipped them gently. She replaced her fingers with the piece of fruit and could feel his chewing by touching his jaw.

"How does that taste?" She asked him as her arms slouched around his shoulders.

The taste of the apricot she had given him seemed to intensify as he continued eating it. The juices of the ripe fruit pooled in his mouth to be swallowed along with the mush from the rest of it. With one of his senses gone the rest were definitely more sensitive. He could feel her moving on him, trying to get into a more comfortable position. It did nothing but entice him to want more. He had to place his hands on her hips to stop her from moving any more.

"Let me try something else." Ulquiorra said as he brought her closer to him.

He started gently touching her face, in a much similar fashion to the way she did to him when they were first alone at the masquerade where he met her. He began at the top of her jaw, tracing down to her chin and then moving his fingers up until they were lingering over her lips. He could feel her small breaths on his fingertips and how the corners of her lips turned upwards. The next place was her cheeks, he could feel her eyes flutter close and her eyelashes giving his thumbs butterfly kisses. Ulquiorra took the invitation to kiss each eyelid, if only that was all it took for her to be able to see again.

Ulquiorra moved her hair so that it left one side of her neck bare. He flipped them around so that Francisca was on her back, accidently knocking the basket over in the process. Keeping the blindfold on, he placed many light kisses from her shoulder all the way up her neck to below her earlobe. Using his teeth, he nipped at the earlobe which caused her to dig her fingernails into his clothed back. With his tongue he traced the outer shell of her ear, her hands clawed down his chest wanting to remove his cotton shirt.

"Not yet." He whispered over her lips, indulging in a kiss. "I-" He was cut off by a loud crashing over to the side where the campfire was.

"What was that?" Francisca asked, obviously frightened with what she heard.

"I don't know." He kept them low thinking that they might not have been seen. "I need to take the blindfold off."

"Of course." She was confused for why he asked for permission but couldn't help and smile because of it.

"Ulquiorra! Get your ass over here, we need your help." They heard Grimmjow yell out. Any chances of staying hidden were now ruined.

"Just stay here Francisca, stay low, everything will be okay." Ulquiorra got off of her and she heard the ripping of clothing.

The sound of beating wings could be heard from her low position and she could also feel the air move around her because of them. _Murciélago?_ There was no mistaking it. She would recognise the presence of her monster anywhere. But where had Ulquiorra gone? Francisca shook her head. He hadn't gone anywhere. Ulquiorra _transformed_ into the monster that used to be in front of her. All this time it had always been him. The guy who killed her father and the one who would visit her at night, he was the same as Lord Aizen's son. She didn't know what to think with this new revelation, so she kept down like she had been told and just waited.

* * *

"You take care of the fighting Baraggan and I'll capture Francisca." Gin whispered.

They were still on the hill and it was night time. Waiting had been a boring game but it was going to be worth it in the end. Below them the runaways were in two groups. The larger group was around their campfire, discussing trivial matters. The smaller group which consisted of the redhead and Ulquiorra was off to the side, getting comfortable on the blanket of their picnic. They had no idea what was about to happen, the attack of surprise was going to be on their side.

"Are you sure that is a good idea? I would have a better chance if you were to fight alongside me." Baraggan protested. He had suspicion in his eyes as to what his Uncle was up to.

"We were given two jobs." Gin said holding up two fingers. "Capture Francisca and kill Ulquiorra. Now one is more important than the other, you are going to be the distraction while I grab the girl." Baraggan was about to argue but Gin waggled a finger in front of his face. "Nah uh uh uh, my orders are Lord Aizen's orders. You're not going to defy your _padre_ are you?"

The one which looked the eldest between the two shook his head only giving the silent reply.

"Good boy. Now go and do your job."

Gin stayed where he was, watching as Baraggan transformed into a skeletal being beside him and went down to the group by the campfire. It shouldn't be called a transformation because all that happened was his skin melted off, leaving the skeleton underneath. He saw Ulquiorra get up and transform as his blue haired nephew yelled out to him. It was his turn to move and he crept down the hill while everyone had their attention on Baraggan. Francisca tensed when she felt someone beside her. She knew it wasn't Ulquiorra or the other siblings because they would've let her know of their approach.

"_Buenas noches_ Francisca." Gin almost purred out as he got down beside her.

He grabbed her arm and placed a hand over her mouth to prevent her from yelling out. Dragging her to the side, he could hear Baraggan scream in pain as someone successfully stabbed him. Whether it was a fatal blow was yet to be determined. Francisca tried talking but her words were muffled, with her mouth against his hand.

"I will only remove my hand if you promise not to scream." Gin whispered into her ear, loosening his grip.

She nodded and when he released her mouth, she began talking. "Who are you?" Francisca asked in a little voice. "What are you going to do to me?"

"I am Lord Aizen's _hermano_." He had to cover her mouth again as he saw her take a deep breath to scream. "I'm here to help. We just need to wait until your friends kill Baraggan."

"What do you mean?" Francisca asked. She started feeling his face, to get a look at him. Her fingers weren't being gentle, like she would be with Ulquiorra and she poked him in the eye. "Sorry." There was no sincerity in her voice even though he was there to help them all.

"How do you still have your hands if you handle my _sobrino_ that way?" Gin asked hearing another scream from Baraggan.

"Why couldn't you just leave us alone?" Neither of them bothered answering the other's questions but she hoped he would answer this one.

"Lord Aizen ordered it. I had wanted to come alone but I think he suspected something and I had to bring Baraggan with me." The silver haired man looked around the carriage which he had hid them behind. His second eldest nephew was still fighting but slowly losing with everyone against him. "It should be over now, but I still need to take you back with me."

"What?" Francisca shouted loud enough that everyone probably ended up hearing her.

"I told you to be quiet." Gin admonished. He didn't try to hide again and waited for one of the siblings to find them.

* * *

The first thing Ulquiorra noticed was the smell of burnt skin. He knew that he needed to help his siblings but hoped he made the right choice of leaving Francisca by herself. Everyone was in their transformed states apart from Coyote who was beside Lilynette and Yammy, two guns in each hand and watching from the side lines. His youngest brother looked at the scene shocked, unable to comprehend what was happening. It was obvious they would have a lot of questions to answer when this was over.

Baraggan knew he wouldn't survive, not with so many against him. Grimmjow and Nelliel were keeping him back, waiting for Ulquiorra to join them. Tier was observing, looking for any weakness that she wouldn't be able to see if joining the fight. Grabbing a sharp piece of flaming wood from the campfire, Ulquiorra moved towards his older brother. With Baraggan preoccupied the stick easily went through his clothed back. Even as a skeleton, the stab still hurt him as he yelled out in pain. Ulquiorra twisted the wood around before removing it.

Dropping to his knees, Baraggan coughed up blood, one of his lungs had been pierced and he wasn't any closer to completing his job. At this point, he realised that his Uncle probably was betraying his father. There was no way for him to escape, he knew that. With one last bout of strength, he jumped onto Grimmjow, knocking the blue haired panther looking brother down. His bony fingers dug into the flesh near the shoulder and tore the arm off. Grimmjow grunted in pain, his teeth biting his bottom lip to stop from eliciting much noise.

Nelliel rushed into Baraggan and started to stomp him into the ground, breaking many of his bones. Ulquiorra gave her the stick he had used to stab his brother and she used it to do exactly the same. At some point she must've pierced him through the heart because he yelled out one last time before his eyes slowly closed. Skin appeared slowly over the bones of his skeleton and his body was still, no breathing indicated he was dead. Everyone sighed in relief until they heard Francisca shouting.

In his haste to help out Grimmjow with the fighting, Ulquiorra hadn't bothered checking the surroundings to see if Francisca was going to be safe. Running in the direction they heard her voice, he didn't transform back and saw Gin standing beside the redhead, behind the carriage. Francisca didn't look hurt in any way and it was the only reason Ulquiorra wasn't worried of his Uncle's part in all of this. He went straight to her side and after she initially stiffened, her shoulders relaxed when she figured it was him.

"Lord Aizen won't stop until he knows that you're dead." Gin stated to Ulquiorra as the others made their way towards them. "I have a plan, but you will need to trust me."

"What does the plan involve?" It was Coyote who asked. He still had the guns in his hands, watching out for any wrong move.

"Francisca comes with me back to the castle and-"

"No! That won't be happening." Ulquiorra moved the woman in question behind him. "She stays with me."

Gin gave a chuckle and shook his head. "This is the part where you have to trust me."

"Hear him out _hermano_. This could be the only way to become free of _padre_." Tier said.

They all moved to the campfire which needed to be relit because all that was burning were the red embers. Their conversation didn't finish until the morning rays of sunlight peaked over the horizon. Ulquiorra was reluctant to let Francisca go with Gin but he let it happen, with a promise of death should any harm come to her. The rest of the party would slowly follow on foot as the two travelled by carriage. Only death or victory were install for them when they reach the castle that became their home over the years and no one was certain of which outcome it would be.

* * *

"You say that he is dead? Baraggan as well?" Lord Aizen asked, his eyes watching the shaking girl carefully, looking for any sign that what Gin had just told him was untrue. He couldn't see anything and held out his hand. "Give the _mujer_ to me."

"What are you going to do with her?" Gin asked with a sinister grin on his features.

"We're taking her to the basement." They walked down the cold corridor and into the same room of Nnoitra's death. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, thanks to the servants who cleaned up the mess afterwards. "Do you think the others were able to follow you?"

"I was able to take the carriage from them along with Francisca." Gin started. "They have Yammy and little Lilynette with them, but they should be able to make it in the next few days. I came here as soon as I could."

"_Bueno_. We will leave her in here, where she can-"

"Sōsuke!" Kaname's voice echoed throughout the basement corridors. "I can sense them, they are _all _arriving, Ulquiorra included."

Not only had he been interrupted but the news he heard wasn't good. His eyes narrowed as he looked at his brother who seemed surprised, too surprised. "I thought you said that Ulquiorra was killed, did you lie to me Gin?"

"I have no idea what you are insinuating. Before I left, I saw Baraggan kill Ulquiorra and then the others killed him." He kept the creepy smile on his face, knowing that his brother wouldn't have a clue what he was thinking. "I didn't stay to help Baraggan because I wanted to get away before they knew their precious Francisca was gone. Maybe Ulquiorra is able to regenerate more quickly than we thought possible?"

"If this family reunion doesn't go to plan Gin, I will kill you." Sōsuke threatened. "Francisca, you should be happy, I was going to let you starve in here." He petted her hair and she tried to get out of his reach but was unsuccessful. A finger traced down to her chin and he harshly gripped it, pulling her forward. "I suggest you don't move away from me again, unless I order it."

* * *

A slap resounded and Ulquiorra quickened his pace into the basement. When he got into the room, the first thing he saw was Francisca on the stone ground and his father was standing over her. Gin and Kaname were on either side of him, both not moving an inch to stop anything from happening. Ulquiorra was about to rush over to her but Coyote's hand on his shoulder prevented him from doing anything. He turned and gave the older man a questioning glance but Coyote just shook his head at him.

"Be careful, do not do anything rash."

Lord Aizen reached down and pulled Francisca up by her hair. She tried to struggle against it but was too weak to do anything to help herself. It took all of his will for Ulquiorra to stay where he was standing and just watch. Grimmjow and Nelliel had their eyes on Kaname, ready to pounce on him when the signal occurred. Tier leaned against the wall and observed, she would join only if they truly needed her.

"Ulquiorra tell me something, did Gin betray me when he found you all with Baraggan?"

"No." He said it too fast for it to be believable and knew it.

Sōsuke's hand connected with Francisca's cheek again, but he held onto her hair to stop her from falling like the first time. "Would you like to re-think your answer?"

Ulquiorra was about to shake his head, when he saw his father's hand rise again. "_Si_! He did. This was his plan!"

"I knew you would come out with the truth." Sōsuke smiled and pushed Francisca down on a nearby chair. "She is quite a useful tool to be used against you _hijo_." He turned to Gin and stepped closer to the silver haired man. "This brings me to the lie you told me Gin. I cannot forgive you for betraying me. Did you think you would actually get away with doing such a thing?"

"Of course not." Gin laughed, not bothering to back away.

The brunette raised his hand about to wrap his fingers around Gin's neck when a bang was heard in the room, making many of the people inside flinch. Sōsuke yelled out in pain because he had been shot by one of Coyote's guns. This was the sign Grimmjow and Nelliel had been waiting for and they dashed towards Kaname. Making sure he wouldn't be able to escape and also not be able to help out the Lord of the castle.

"_Joder_! You shot me!" He grabbed one of the swords hanging on the wall and instead of stabbing Gin, Sōsuke walked over to Ulquiorra and held out the hilt to him. "You can end this, all you need to do is kill Francisca and you will be free."

This seemed familiar to Ulquiorra, like he had already gone through this same scenario just with a few minor changes. Reaching out, he flexed his fingers before holding onto the katana. His gaze went from the blade to the woman sitting down, who was probably confused with everything going on around her. He walked up to her, close enough to see the tiny tremors going through her body. As if sensing him near her, she lifted her head, blank milky white eyes blindly staring at him. The tip of the sword was touching the clothing that covered her chest, where her heart lay beating frantically.

"Do you trust me?" He asked. All it took was for him to shove his arm forward and drive the sword through her heart to kill her, little effort would be involved.

"_Si_."

Ulquiorra was expecting her voice to be small and trembling, just like her body, but it was the opposite. He knew Francisca was telling the truth and even accepted the fate of her death if he were to kill her. A feeling coursed through him that he had never felt before and it scared him. He feared it. There was no changing what was going to happen and it was to have a dramatic effect of his life. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath with the realisation that he loved her.

"If I kill her, I will be free." He stated aloud. His hand was starting to shake but Ulquiorra stepped backward to prevent the mistake of hurting Francisca. It didn't take long for him to transform and he turned around to face the being he had always known as his father. "But if I kill _you_, everyone will be free."

Sōsuke's eyes widened when he figured out what was going to happen and he didn't like the outcome one bit. Coyote's strong grip on his arms kept him still and Ulquiorra stalked up to him as a monster. Memories of his childhood flashed through his mind and he remembered all the victims that were killed because of the man in front of him, all for some distant hope of becoming free. If only they had rebelled earlier and then all of this mess wouldn't have occurred. People would still be alive.

There was a squelching sound as the blade entered the body of Sōsuke. As soon as it was in, it was out, now covered in the red bloody substance. Life-filled eyes turned glassy as their father took one last breath. It all seemed too good to be true for all of them. He was laid on the ground and everyone exited the basement. Ulquiorra back in his human form helped Francisca move around to not touch the lifeless body. Tier took her from him as he turned back to the basement doors, closing and locking them for what he hoped would be the last time.

"It is over… _padre_."

* * *

**A/N: **Translations.

Si – yes

Promesa – promise

Murciélago – commonly known as the name of Ulquiorra's zanpakutou but also Spanish for bat

Padre – father

Buenas noches – good evening

Hermano – brother

Sobrino – nephew

Mujer – woman

Bueno – good

Hijo – son

Joder – f*ck


End file.
